Confluence with Jason Baffa
[00:00:38] Tyler: [00:01:00] Hello, and welcome to the Swell Season Surf Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Brewer. When Jason Batha's film, Single Fin Yellow, premiered and toured the country in 2003, the movie helped to contribute the ushering in of what I would call the golden age of surf cinema. The film was a fun concept and challenged surf filmmakers to create surf cinema with high concepts and storylines.
[00:01:40] Single thin yellow's concept seems simple enough. South Bay Shaper and surfer. Tyler Hatian shapes a single fin yellow longboard sends it on now on and around the world tour to some of the best surfers on Earth who surf it, then pass it on until it makes its way back to Tyler. But the film gave us so much [00:02:00] more.
[00:02:00] It had insight from the surfers shapers, and showed that one board could evoke many different feelings and emotions from surfers. It also, also gave us the sense of the global surf community and the board represented the connection that we all share as surfers. The film made waves and surf films could no longer be just about a string of surf shots stitched together with cool music.
[00:02:26] They had to add storytelling in order to thrive. Eventually went on to be known for a body of work that brings to life soulful visual explorations through unique characters and a cinematic aesthetic. His films have lived mostly in the surf lifestyle genre with powerful imagery and emphasis on emotional stories.
[00:02:48] He has built a niche in independent film garnering worldwide praise. He's gone on to create such notable films as his 2018 feature documentary, [00:03:00] Loopers, The Caddy's Long Walk, narrated by Bill Murray. A first ever look at the somewhat secret profession of the golf caddy. It went on to bit win best documentary at the Newport Film Festival.
[00:03:13] Beach and Cleveland International Film Fest, and he was also executive producer and director with Station 10 and Boardwalk Pictures on an eight part series for Disney Plus about surfing called Chasing Waves. His latest project, Confluence, merges live music by the band Sea Poodle with high definition photography, merging audio and visuals into a cinematic poem.
[00:03:40] It's a visual delight set to some incredible sounds. Jason Baffa is our guest on this episode of the Swell Season Surf Podcast. Jason, welcome to the show, man.
[00:03:52] Jason Baffa: Thank you, Tyler. Wow, it's like, what's the Venmo account? I send the thank you check to you. That, [00:04:00] I'm done. We're done. Thank
[00:04:01] Tyler: There we go. There we go. That's all you need to know, people. Single fin, yellow, confluence. Caddy's done. Even though there's a whole lot in between, you know?
[00:04:11] Jason Baffa: all the blood, sweat and tears mostly in the, uh,
[00:04:15] Tyler: the stress, the drama. At least he's still got hair.
[00:04:19] Jason Baffa: You know, it's funny and I love wearing hats and I get so much crap. You know, my, my dad has a hairline, a little like. yours. And he's like, kid, if I had your kind of hair, but yeah, yeah, yeah, no, it's, uh, it's that casual beach lifestyle, right?
[00:04:36] It keeps us all young on some level, but no, thank you. In all seriousness, it's, it's, uh, it's nice and, and kind of surreal to look back. You're so busy, always trying to figure out the next thing you're doing. You don't always just sit and sort of, you know, take a 10, 000 mile view down on it all. And it's a lot of
[00:04:56] Tyler: stock. It's hard to take stock, you know, like, you [00:05:00] know, you just every once in a while you gotta Stop and look around and be like I did that Like I mean not me but you I imagine you're like I did that holy shit Or maybe you're like yeah, fuck I did that
[00:05:18] Jason Baffa: Yeah, you know, it's, it's funny. I hit that, that midlife point, you know, and, uh, And that whole midlife thing is real. And you kind of start evaluating, okay, we're going on to the back nine now. And you know, what have we gotten done so far? If you're lucky, you get another nine. And, um, I got kind of mad at myself cause I hadn't pursued as many of the, the Hollywood things that I had wanted when I was young.
[00:05:45] Um, you know, my film collection as a young person didn't have many surf titles. It might've been the endless summer and. I think Big Wednesday, the Hollywood version by John Milius was a big influence on me, but, um,
[00:05:57] Tyler: yeah.
[00:05:58] Jason Baffa: you know, the rest was, it [00:06:00] was Star Wars and Rager's Lost Ark and anything Arnold Schwarzenegger was in.
[00:06:04] So there they are.
[00:06:06] Tyler: uh, you know, talking to a Star Wars nerd right here,
[00:06:10] Jason Baffa: I love
[00:06:11] Tyler: lightsaber for you listeners who can't see this, but yeah. I mean, you know, those movies inspired so many fucking people. It's incredible when you think about it, right? Like, and they all went in different directions too.
[00:06:27] Jason Baffa: Yeah. And you know, I have, I have enjoyed, and you know, this is a pat on the shoulder, but I remember I was doing a commercial and I'd hired some young guy to bring in a drone early in the drone days.
[00:06:40] Tyler: Yeah.
[00:06:41] Jason Baffa: He came up to me and he said, I just want you to know I got into filmmaking because of Singleton Yellow and I was floored like I had no idea and I just recently had been delving into some work about the filmmakers like Lucas and thought about like he influenced me and now I've [00:07:00] influence other people.
[00:07:00] And it's fascinating how it is. It's that type of discipline. You know, it kind of ripples down and, and, and out, and you never really know, um, what's going to be created next off of what someone else did, um, in a good way.
[00:07:16] Tyler: there's like a, I would say there's almost like a stylistic tree maybe for certain filmmaking similar to like surfboard shaping. I feel like there are like these influences and then, you know, you can you pull from this filmmaker and that filmmaker and you kind of almost like branching the trees together to form something new and, you know, it's kind of kind of that that legacy almost in some ways.
[00:07:41] Jason Baffa: It, it's interesting you say that because one of the people, this project interviewed is Caleb Dashanelle. And if you know film, he's a world renowned cinematographer, director of photography, nominated. I think for six Academy Awards at this point, hasn't won one, which many would argue is a [00:08:00] rip, but he's one of the best.
[00:08:01] And going into the interview, I was like, I want to refamiliarize, like I know of him, but I, and I went and it was Black Stallion, The
[00:08:10] Tyler: Oh my god, that movie was like, crazy, yeah,
[00:08:14] Jason Baffa: that I absolutely loved as a kid, but I don't think I ever kind of thought like, Oh, this same artist is behind these things because I was young and I didn't I didn't look at it that way.
[00:08:24] And when I look at the opening sequences of black stallion, and for those who haven't seen it, or haven't seen a long time, the first. Maybe 30 minutes. There's almost no dialogue and it's just this kid and a horse on a beach, but it's all, yeah, long lens and stuff that I love doing now in my projects. And you start wondering like, wow, was that kind of style of imagery seeded in me back then?
[00:08:49] And, you know, so it is fascinating to kind of track through what sticks and doesn't stick, you
[00:08:54] Tyler: Absolutely. I mean, it's like surfing style, right? Like [00:09:00] you, you watch these people and it's almost like osmosis. It just kind of comes in and. I mean, we're all probably influenced by Tom Curren and then there are these variations that form and we have our own little personal tics that we put to it, but like, it's subconscious.
[00:09:16] Like you're totally just, you see it and it just, you're like, you want to mimic it. You want to somehow, it's just there in your, in your subconscious, maybe even.
[00:09:26] Jason Baffa: And, and personal tics is a real polite way of saying ugly, weird things we do that aren't Tom Curran, right? Because in my mind, yeah, my bottom turn is just, just like Tom's, but, uh, it is, it, it's, it is a really, um, it's fascinating how life works that way. And in particular, I feel this world we're, you know, involved in and it's very saturated in, um, you know, I've watched a lot of great surfing through the barrel of a lens.
[00:09:55] I'm just. Lucky that way and um, and I love
[00:09:59] Tyler: [00:10:00] and it doesn't translate to our surfing.
[00:10:02] Jason Baffa: I don't know. You'll, you'll have to ask my friends. In my mind maybe, yeah. I don't, I don't know.
[00:10:08] Tyler: For me, I have like this like weird limp wrist kind of thing when I turn and my arm goes up and it's weird and like, but I think I'm current, I think I'm tossing pizzas all the time. But.
[00:10:19] Jason Baffa: Right, exactly. My issue is I look like a bowling ball I think, so it's like this meatball that maybe moves smoothly, you know, as it's falling off the table. But, yeah,
[00:10:30] Tyler: I've always felt that, like, a bowling ball would be a great way to watch surfing, actually. Like, cause the way that momentum the ball carries through turns, so, maybe. Maybe you're onto something here.
[00:10:42] Jason Baffa: thank you. I appreciate your, uh, Your openness.
[00:10:47] Tyler: I'm, I'm, I am open minded to all sorts of surfing styles, you know. Um, do you remember though, like, I don't know if you remember, but like we, we did a panel [00:11:00] together. Way back with Barefoot Wine, the One Beach premiere. And so listeners, we did this panel, like Barefoot Wine was getting into surfing and, um, they wanted to do this whole, uh, you know, kind of, uh, eco friendly film about plastic and reduction of plastic.
[00:11:18] And, uh, and you made the film and collect, you know, gathered all these incredible people together. And, you know, I was lucky enough to do this live Q and A, which was streamed. You know, this is like.
[00:11:30] Jason Baffa: that's right.
[00:11:30] Tyler: 2012 or
[00:11:31] Jason Baffa: Well, yeah, I was gonna say Barefoot was a little ahead of their time, even just with the eco mindedness and the branded content aspect. Um, Sean O'Brien, very talented producer, was a big part of that. And, uh, Farm League was the production company I was working with at the time. And yeah, that was, you know, it's neat.
[00:11:49] And for those, it's hard to find out. It was on YouTube
[00:11:53] Tyler: I can't find it. I know I was looking. It's deep in there
[00:11:56] Jason Baffa: That's one of those, I think I have a DVD somewhere that I need to figure out how to [00:12:00] make a digital version because it was a great message about, it was about beach plastic and plastic pollution, but we looked at five people. I believe we ended up with who were doing something positive with it.
[00:12:14] There was a couple artists, uh, one surfboard builder. I think one of his, he sent me a fin. That used, you know, found objects on the beach and he would relaminate it. It was really, I think, I think that was a great lesson for me that in the commercial space, I love doing things that have a little more ethos behind them beyond selling a product.
[00:12:35] Granted, we were selling Barefoot Wine in an indirect way, but the project itself. Was very much not about that, you know, um, yeah, that's right. You had,
[00:12:48] Tyler: We have Barbara
[00:12:49] Jason Baffa: most, yeah, I was going to say most of the cast.
[00:12:52] Tyler: Yeah. Like it was incredible. And, you know, it was, I mean, it's, it's [00:13:00] kind of sad to say it was ahead of the time because technically it should have been, we should have been thinking about this long ago, longer than that. But, but it does feel like it has.
[00:13:10] Kind of caught up today, but what I found really interesting is that since then you've kind of gone on and worked with this wine company, Zio Baffa, which I wonder if that helps spur something along for you with that,
[00:13:26] Jason Baffa: I, I, I a hundred percent think that that was part of that lightning, you know, or light bulb. Um, at the time when we finished one California day, we started doing some stuff with toes on the nose. And we were approached by a guy who manages, uh, at the time, Bruce Brown's stuff who we've lost, but the endless summer as a licensing brand.
[00:13:50] And so anytime you see the endless summer on something, it's usually going through him. And he approached Mark Jeremiah and I about doing some stuff with one California day, and we were looking at beer and we [00:14:00] were talking about wine. And so I think, yeah, all of that kind of ended up in a, a bit of a blender.
[00:14:05] And then when I made my friends. Or met my friends in Italy and we, we had a lot of fun making Bella Vita. We, you know, pure Giorgio famously said, we need another project, you know? And it, it, I wasn't one to say no. I'm like, Hey, all I gotta do is show up. Um,
[00:14:21] Tyler: Uh,
[00:14:34] Jason Baffa: for that house.
[00:14:35] Tyler: that the gallow air was there right at the premiere
[00:14:38] Jason Baffa: Yeah, I believe she was. See if I was a, if I was a better networker, you know, I was, I was probably getting sloshed on free wine in the back, the back bar zone. Uh,
[00:14:49] Tyler: Uh,
[00:14:50] Jason Baffa: about the questions you were going to ask me. So
[00:14:52] Tyler: I was, I was stuck with like cases of their sparkling wine, which I just don't drink. And I [00:15:00] was like, that was my go to gift at every party. How, so I'm curious, like though with the Ziobaffa wine, like how did that come about then? I mean, it was during, obviously you're filming at Bella Vita, but like, Yeah, give me, give me a little bit more details on this because it, we've had numerous events in New York even with the, with that wine and has sponsored and I've met like some of your partners through that actually and, and it's, it's one gorgeous wine like delicious,
[00:15:31] Jason Baffa: well, thank you. And and really the credit goes to Pier Giorgio Castellani the the winemaker and He's based out of Tuscany and he was our our home base making bella vita Which if you haven't seen is on itunes and the surf network um
[00:15:48] Tyler: plug.
[00:15:49] Jason Baffa: Well, you know, Bellevue, it's an interesting one for me because that film won more awards.
[00:15:53] We did all the kind of festivals, both surf film and true film festivals. Not that surf film festivals [00:16:00] aren't, but you know what I mean. And, um, won more awards than anything I've ever done yet. Financially, it came out in a time when I think DVDs were, we still printed some, so they weren't dead yet. But everyone was moving to digital and just how that economic structure Shifted, uh, I think hurt that film.
[00:16:19] Um, and
[00:16:20] Tyler: felt like the film had long life, though. It felt like it was being promoted for almost two years. It felt like there was a lot of push for it,
[00:16:29] Jason Baffa: just waving the flag of, you know, come buy this movie now, it, it ended up on Netflix, which was good and bad. I think a lot of people watched it on Netflix, which is great. You make something, you want to see it, but that wasn't a huge paycheck per se from a distribution point of view. And it ended up on, um, Red Bull TV or Red Bull media house.
[00:16:52] Which that will end soon. Anyways, I'm getting in the weeds, but it was such a fun project to do. As you can [00:17:00] imagine, we were in Italy for a hundred days. And
[00:17:03] Tyler: a little bit of like a background on the film too, if you don't
[00:17:06] Jason Baffa: so the background, um, yeah, it tracks Chris Del Moro, who's an Italian American, but was raised kind of by coastal between California and Tuscany. Uh, his parents had met his mom, American, his dad, Italian. They got divorced. And so he, every summer would go back to Italy and visit his Nona and kind of have this other life.
[00:17:31] And, um, when he was turning about 30, I think I was in my mid to late thirties. Um, we connected on the fact that I'm Italian. My dad's family's from Calabria and he told me about this and he's like, gosh, there's this. Surf scene in Italy. And I, I honestly didn't believe him because I had never seen it up to that point.
[00:17:52] And you know, you get wind swell in the med and it actually can even get good, especially down in Sardinia and Sicily. And he gave [00:18:00] me the pitch and it kind of, you know, he sent a couple of photos and I was like, wow, all right, this is really unique. And. Per your beautiful setup of the crazy projects I've done, I'm always interested in something that feels a little bit different than what else I've seen, and I'm always interested in growing, which, you know, goes along with pushing myself out of the comfort zone.
[00:18:23] And, um, and so I kind of jumped all in and this guy, Pierre Giorgio. Was sort of the first person we talked to and, and, you know, kind of said, we can't do this without some help. And he's like, look, I don't make movies. I make wine, but I got a place you can stay and come stay in the vineyard. And I know lots of people and Chris knew people in the surf community and peer Giorgio introduced us to all these.
[00:18:48] Artisans and craftspeople. And so the film really traces or goes with Chris retracing some of his roots growing up, but I think it becomes an ode to craftsmanship [00:19:00] and sort of this interesting, for me, at least as a filmmaker and being on the ground. Seeing how a culture like Italy that doesn't let a lot of stuff in every, you know, even province to province.
[00:19:12] It's like our pasta is better than your pasta, you know, and we make a better wine here and over the river. It's not so good, you know? And so everything is very insular and yet surfing's broken in and it's been embraced and evolved in this kind of unique Italian way. Where style is important, you know, and, and, and how things look and presentation and it, and it's beautiful.
[00:19:36] There's a beautiful surfing community there and the film kind of takes a look at all of that. And when we were done here, Giorgio, he literally said, we were, I'll never forget in the car, he's like, you know, friends need projects, otherwise we might get together once a year and get drunk or something, but he's like a project keeps people together.
[00:19:55] And he's like, how about a wine? You know, would you ever want to help me do [00:20:00]something that, and, and so that was the beginning and, um, you know, again, it's really, it's his world, you know? And so we did the three varietals. The red being estate grown from his property, which he says, you know, kind of represents the middle of Italy.
[00:20:18] And then our white is a Pinot Grigio, which at one point was Puglia. Now it's grown on Sicily. So that's the South of it. And then the Prosecco much like Champagne is from a region, Veneto, which is in the North, North of Venice. So we kind of have this, you know, representation through the three things. And because he too, and you know, and this was now a while ago.
[00:20:42] forward thinking said it should be organic and it should be non gmo and it should be sustainably produced and we're packaged in recycled bottles with this eco cork that twists off like a screw cap and all these things that when the guys brought it to the u. s the buyers like what is [00:21:00] that like no no thank you nobody's going to want this right and at that time organic wine was kind had a bad rap to be to be honest and um And they weren't that, well, I know, and they weren't that good.
[00:21:13] So, you know, the winemakers learn and the public's shifting their palate. And that's the dance, I think, when you're in that business, you know, and they're always kind of chasing their, their tail, except the old world wines are like, this is what we do. And, you know, it's all we do. But Pier Giorgio's forward thinking, and I think for him, it was a fun project, a way to stay connected with his surf roots.
[00:21:35] And, um, it, it had its, its moments of good and bad. And we had to work through that. And it was fascinating for me because all, I mean, Tyler, since I was five, I said, I'm not going to go make movies, you know, and when I was in high school, I was making videos for kids who wanted athlete scholarships and it's like, it's I don't know how to do much else.
[00:21:56] So, uh, to, to be [00:22:00] involved in something from even a far where, you know, you're, you're making a product, granted it has to do with farming and nature and all these things that are a little bit out of your control, like surfing, um, at the same time, it's, it's a widget, right? And so to be involved in, that's been really.
[00:22:17] Fun for me and my relationship is, you know, a small part of it. And for that, I help with the marketing and you know, whether that's creating stuff or, um, we've had a lot of fun this summer in California, using some of that budget to sponsor little art shows that people are doing the flow Viento. We, we gave them some wine and you know, it's, I just want to stoke out my artist friends and be like, you know, you're not alone.
[00:22:43] I know it feels like it's sometime. Um, And, um, you know, we're all in it together and at the end of the day have a little wine. It makes it a little less painful, but, um, it's distributed out of New York. So our presence by you is [00:23:00] better, um, than it isn't. Yeah, which is great. Um,
[00:23:03] Tyler: I always go, I know, I go when I'm with my wife, I'm like, I know the guy who helped start that.
[00:23:09] Jason Baffa: unsexy thing. Uh, we should bathe
[00:23:14] Tyler: Oh boy, another surfer. Oh, great.
[00:23:16] Jason Baffa: Yeah, there's a surfer on the back. So it's, um, it's been fun. And you know, it's, um, it, it's now, I don't know, in three or four countries, I don't even really track all that, but it's built to be an everyday wine. So it's a very low margin
[00:23:36] Tyler: Yeah.
[00:23:37] Jason Baffa: And the marketing budget is really small.
[00:23:39] So it's, it's really just all about kind of the doing it. Which I keep saying, like, charge more, let's, you know, let's make a bunch of money and then I can go retire. But the Italians are like, nah, nah, Jason, that's, there's no soul in that. Where's the soul? The soul is in the suffering for the art. [00:24:00] Um, but it's, it is a fun segue because, and it was interesting hearing your setup, you know, everything you said I went against, now I'm sort of coming back to with the, This little experimental project, Confluence, because it is all surfing.
[00:24:14] There's no narration. The story is very loose.
[00:24:18] Tyler: it's full circle almost in a way, like it kind of like, it's funny, like you start out this narrative style and then you're like, I just want to make a fucking surf film that's just stringing together, surfing, beautiful visuals and gorgeous sound.
[00:24:34] Jason Baffa: and well, and I've, I've never done that. So that is the one, the odd part right here later in the career is like, let's just try this. But I do think, you know, the excitement of the live music component and, um, what ties those two conversations together is, you know, letting Ziobafffa be a part of it. And that helps that world.
[00:24:57] And it also gave that little bit of [00:25:00] money. I mean, this project's kind of bootstrapped, you know, I've done almost all of it myself, uh, minus a few friends who pitched in and, and it's
[00:25:09] Tyler: shooting this for like 10 years though, right?
[00:25:11] Jason Baffa: Well, it
[00:25:12] Tyler: like on and off.
[00:25:13] Jason Baffa: like, I love shooting surfing. And so we had a red camera while we were making, um, loopers. And so if the surf got good, I would go shoot, you know, I'd go shoot.
[00:25:24] And, and like, I started realizing I have all these sessions and some of this stuff, you know, we'd leak out on social media. Cause I'm like, I have it. And then I'd get pissed. Cause like, this is really good looking stuff. Like when I put it up on a 4k TV, um, And so that was a little bit of the evolution or, you know, for lack of a better word, the confluence of things that brought it together and an old friend of mine, um, Matt Donahue plays in Sea Poodle and he and Mikko started sending me tracks from San Diego.
[00:25:54] And he's like, you know, we love your stuff. And we feel like our music kind of goes with it. And we [00:26:00] started playing with it. It was just like, wow, this feels. This is good. Like it feels nice. And, you know, again, kind of was going through this midlife thing, focusing more on Hollywood. I was spending all my time writing.
[00:26:13] I wrote a feature scripted feature, nothing about surfing, wrote a TV series about a Navy diver. So it's, It's very much of the ilk of our surf crazy friends, but based in a bit of a different world. And, um, and I was having so much fun doing it, but it's just, it wasn't going anywhere. And I was pounding my head against the wall.
[00:26:34] I'm like, I need that. I need that fun. And I have some of these sessions and this music's good and Ziobaffa needs some stuff. And that was kind of, it all just started bubbling. And I just started playing with it and then capturing new sessions and getting a couple things shot to just give it. a bit of a fresh take and, um,
[00:26:55] Tyler: Oh yeah, you know, you just do some water photography for fun. Just go [00:27:00]swim out in some nice overhead waves and shoot too, you
[00:27:03] Jason Baffa: you go. Then you're done.
[00:27:05] Tyler: The only thing the movie's missing is product placement.
[00:27:08] Jason Baffa: Yeah. Well,
[00:27:09] Tyler: I was waiting for someone to just like, you know, like Connor getting out of the water and just like someone handed him a bottle of wine like, let's go.
[00:27:18] Yeah. Yeah.
[00:27:20] Jason Baffa: if this is public knowledge, but I will never forget. I was amazed when, uh, when my athlete friends, I won't name names, landed a couple of those drink sponsor dollars and that you get cases of say, for example, Red Bull for lack of a better example. that are water in the can. So when they're slamming them in events and you're like, wow, that, that guy hammers Red Bull or that gal really likes her monster energy, they're drinking water.
[00:27:49] So yeah, what I, what I needed to do is start putting water in wine bottles and
[00:27:53] Tyler: Yeah, just, just put some food coloring in and you're set and like, you know, just, [00:28:00] Yeah I mean, how good would it be to see someone on the podium of a contest just with a big ol bottle there?
[00:28:06] Jason Baffa: Tyler, we should have done this a long time ago. You, you were hired. Uh, for cases of sparkling, I want, I want your barefoot wine replaced with something of quality,
[00:28:23] Tyler: Yeah, give me the Prosecco because that's gonna be good for my heartburn, you know?
[00:28:27] Jason Baffa: it's exactly the bubbles. You know, go do some jumping jacks.
[00:28:32] Tyler: Well, so I want to just circle back a bit on Italy here for a second, because, um, so my wife and I went not too long after, you know, uh, Bella Vita, we went to Florence and Derek Hind connected me with, uh, Dave Pecki, who's like this Italian surfer, Derek called him the Italian Dave Rostovich. And so we went.
[00:28:59] [00:29:00] To, um, like,
[00:29:01] Jason Baffa: well, like, could there be two cooler things of the
[00:29:04] Tyler: I know, right? It really was! It's like, Italian Dave Rostovich. Sign me up. Absolutely. So he, uh, he connected us, and we went, uh, out to, uh, went to the Leaning Tower of Pisa to meet him there. And then He had this incredible experience where, first like, I felt bad for my wife, I'm dragging her out to Pisa to meet this surfer guy, and her back was killing her from flying and everything, and I could tell she was kind of getting a little, a little annoyed and like, This guy, Dave, picks us up, like, in this tiny car, and he's, like, real eccentric character, and But he drives us to this guy who's a surfboard shaper in Italy, and we go to his house, and then he immediately rolls joints, and then my wife's like, oh, this is great, I can hang, and, like Watching the guy shape boards.
[00:29:57] He's got crazy freaking things. And then [00:30:00] they brought us out to the coast and we met this whole crew. Now this huge barbecue and some guy let us stay at his Airbnb out there for free. And it was just like one of the coolest surf scenes. And they're just showing me surf movies of Italy and just telling me about it and everything.
[00:30:17] I was just so blown away by what a cool fucking surf scene it was there. And it. It got me thinking about how the democratization of surfing and surf media have really allowed these like Kind of sub surf cultures to form in all these little niches of places that you wouldn't expect surfing to thrive And it's totally thriving and they're putting their own kind of spin on that and I just Like but your film helped to inspire all that and got that going.
[00:30:48] I just wanted to share that like What a cool experience though
[00:30:52] Jason Baffa: yeah, I'm so glad because that's not unlike what I experienced, and you [00:31:00] try, you make the film and hope it translates a little bit, but it, we're truly, until you do it yourself, right? It's, it's, it's, it's, Never gonna really translate and I've heard from a few people who've gone on the pilgrimage so to speak and and Similarly, so you know have just had this wonderful Open door, you know And and you do wonder because it's I guess in a sense newer as a growing fad You know, not so much even now, but ten years ago say, um um You know, is that what it was like California in the, you know, the late forties, early fifties when there weren't that many people.
[00:31:40] And so there is this bonding of like, Oh, you, you like this too. I,
[00:31:44] Tyler: This smaller community of something that feels out of place almost, you know, I
[00:31:50] Jason Baffa: And the Italians, I don't know if you experienced this, but at least the crew I was visiting, no problem hopping in the car and driving six hours to surf, have [00:32:00] lunch and drive home.
[00:32:01] Tyler: that guy Dave Pecky, he was like, Oh yeah, he's like, I'm going to leave you guys. I got to drive. We were, we were by peace and he's like, I got to go drive to Rome now to see my girlfriend. I just came up to kind of catch up with you guys. I was like, what? Like
[00:32:15] Jason Baffa: that in perspective, what is that eight hour? I
[00:32:17] Tyler: eight hour
[00:32:17] Jason Baffa: hour train, eight, eight, 10 hour drive.
[00:32:20] Tyler: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:32:22] Jason Baffa: mentality. Maybe you drive a little faster on their, their highways. So maybe it's more fun, but, um, you're not sitting in traffic, right. Trying to
[00:32:31] Tyler: But it's, it's something to be said about like how surfing has thrived in so many places that you wouldn't expect it to and the, the culture and communities that come out of those places and like, that's why I think Bella Vita, like you say, it represents craft, but I also think there's something to it about representing these, you know, people.
[00:32:52] Kind of far off, non expecting surf culture places and, and how surfing is [00:33:00]thriving and, and kind of, to be honest, like got a cool, different slant on it. Like Italians are so stylish. So they are adding all this cool style to surf gear and what they're wearing. I was looking at it and I was like, Oh, that's fucking cool.
[00:33:16] Like, Oh, look at this guy. He's got like, like Dave Peck. He's got these sweatpants on, but they're tight all around the calf. But then they get all kind of balloony around the upper thighs. I'm like, that's fucking kind of cool. Like I don't see surfers wearing this shit. Like
[00:33:31] Jason Baffa: Yeah. Oh, the Italian style. It it's, um, you know, it's part of the frustration of life for me is I would love to go do a Bella Vita about. Taiwan or, you know, there's all these places that I think. Would be fun to explore and kind of,
[00:33:53] Tyler: a noodle company to sponsor you, you know, you know, it'll be a bath of noodles and like
[00:33:59] Jason Baffa: [00:34:00] If everybody just starts drinking more Zio Baffa, that, that'll fund more of these things. That's my, that's my promise. So I'm not asking you guys to do much, watch movies and drink wine. I mean, you know, and if you don't like to drink, give it, just give it to friends, just buy it, give it. Um, no, it's, you know, it's the frustrating thing with the distribution of films, cause it's these things do.
[00:34:20] Cost money to do them on a premium, but I agree with you that these, these stories and these little, I don't know, little micro, like you were saying, micro subcultures of our culture, right? Um, it's fascinating. Isn't it surfing fascinating that way? I mean, even in a community like Santa Barbara, you sort of have, The crew that likes to longboard and sits more in the cove.
[00:34:43] And you have the crew that, you know, is only going to ride performance equipment and complain all, you know, any day that's under chest high. And you're like, okay, you just could write something else, but all right. I get that. You want it to pump, you know, and then you've got the other crew who's kind of [00:35:00] more like your Italian friend who.
[00:35:01] When it gets good, pulls this weird board out of the rafters. That's, you know, got dings and, and absolutely rips just like beyond comprehension. So I, I think that's what makes it a really fun and unique community to be a part of. There's just all these, you know, different, different things to the fabric of it.
[00:35:21] Tyler: And as it grows, the, you know, you, you know, it becomes less a monolith and becomes like these, like sub these, these niches that you start to see where it's like, Oh, these are the finless guys. And this is the, you know, the body surf crew. And these are the surf mats crew. And, you know, it all really is like becoming like hyper niche.
[00:35:43] And on one hand we lose that collective voice, but we also gain so much more in diversity. You know, in terms of how to appreciate the sport.
[00:35:52] Jason Baffa: That's, that's true. I mean, you know, just having fun being in the ocean, I think is something new. In Confluence, I [00:36:00] was, I really wanted to show a bunch of different types of boards, and I know that's not a new sentiment, but I, my son's 12 and he's into surfing and you know, his crews get a little bit like, Oh, we were only going to write our performance gear.
[00:36:14] And so his dad is just like, well, I just want to show you that people can rip on mid lengths and long boards and, you know, keep that at least at the forefront of what they're experiencing, because I don't know about, I mean, I know, um, Surf gets better for you in the winter, from my perspective as a, as a Californian who only goes further West.
[00:36:34] Like I'm not, you know, can't get me past
[00:36:37] Tyler: Can't get any further. Yeah.
[00:36:45] Jason Baffa: of the ocean may be, uh, It weeds out a certain part of surf culture, if I could say it that way. But what, what's your take? I mean, you've been a part of surf media for so long.
[00:36:56] Now you can go get a foamy at Costco. Like, how do you, [00:37:00] how do you feel about that?
[00:37:02] Tyler: I, I have mixed feelings, you know, it's like, uh, I feel I've always been a proponent. Uh, and I heard JJ Abrams say this. So filmmaker, this was, it always stuck with me.
[00:37:14] Jason Baffa: I listened when JJ talks.
[00:37:16] Tyler: Every light casts a shadow. You know, and so for every positive, there's going to be some negative and that's just the way life is like, and if you look at anything, it's like nothing is ever a hundred percent up, you know, there's always the contrast that's going to be there.
[00:37:35] And so, yeah, like, It sucks, like, there are guys down the street from me here who rent surfboards, you know, foamies, wavestorms and stuff, all day long, and they crowd the lineup with all these ridiculous people on days they shouldn't even be out there, and it's dangerous, and you see all these foamboards snapped, and people just getting wrecked, and it's, it's [00:38:00] crazy, but it's On the other hand, you, I've met some incredible people who've come from that, and stuck with it, and, and persevered, and then it's like, oh, this person's fuckin really cool, so, You know, there's, there's pluses and minuses to it, but I, I genuine, I generally subscribe to a more positive aspect that the more people surf, maybe the more aware they will be of the environment, maybe we'll have more sway on making things better for us and others, uh, environmentally, uh, maybe we'll be more involved.
[00:38:37] That's, that's what I hope. Um, I don't know if it happens or not. I don't know if there's any way to test it empirically. Uh, but that's what I, I hope to see. And I, and in New York, uh, it's different. We're weird here. We're in a fucking little bubble of, of our own politics and whatnot. So everyone's kind of environmentally minded in some way and want to [00:39:00] be more so.
[00:39:00] So, you know, there, there's not as much climate shot, climate denialism in the water here in some parts. So you don't see. You don't see that as much where I think other parts of the country and other parts of the world, you might see totally different perspective. So obviously those things, but I, I don't know, I, I'm quite, I believe that, you know, the democratization of surf media has been a good thing on the whole.
[00:39:26] Uh, I think we've seen some incredible new perspectives. I've seen, we think we've seen so many new types of people, new people from different cultural backgrounds get into surfing and like, God, man, like you look at like. Look at like the Mami Wata, right? The, the, that book, you know, you know, the African surf book and like, holy shit, I had no clue surfing existed in Africa.
[00:39:48] I had no clue. And all these things get discovered because of it. And then there's this Italian surfer getting back to this, this guy, Nick Zinnia. He's an Italian surfer who's lived, lived in [00:40:00]China for the last, He's an anthropologist and has been studying surfing in China and has been introducing it and found that there that surfing has potentially existed in China, like 1000 years ago, like crazy stuff. Yeah, it's interesting. I don't know. Like I,
[00:40:19] Jason Baffa: my Bella Vita China right there.
[00:40:21] Tyler: boom, boom.
[00:40:23] Jason Baffa: Who's listening. Who wants to fund this amazing. Yeah,
[00:40:31] Tyler: You just have to submit it for them to review. Um,
[00:40:37] Jason Baffa: my visit to the proctologist I'm supposed to
[00:40:40] Tyler: Oh man.
[00:40:42] Jason Baffa: I go too far? You can
[00:40:44] Tyler: no, no, no, no. I don't worry. I had to go visit, uh, the other one, but if you do go to the proctologist, I mean, they are going to tell you the best stories. You know, if you're at a party, sit yourself up, you're going to hear the best stories, and they all end with Doc, it was a [00:41:00] million to one chance, Seinfeld reference.
[00:41:04] Ha ha ha. You
[00:41:06] Jason Baffa: You know what? One thing that popped in my head I wanted to share because my wife teaches yoga here in town. And so I'm always getting these good philosophical, you know, kind of things. Take a step back thoughts from her and the idea of traffic and it getting more crowded. We've just had a bad run of traffic here because they're doing a lot of construction and everybody's everybody's complaining.
[00:41:28] And my wife came back. She's like, Oh, I heard the greatest thing. And a friend of mine said, you know, well, you can't complain about the traffic because when you're sitting in it, you got realized. I am the traffic. It's like, yeah, it's crowded, but you're out there. You're part of the crowd. So it's always this, you know, fine line of how we fit in and
[00:41:47] Tyler: but I was in the traffic before everyone else. So,
[00:41:50] Jason Baffa: Yes. Very forward thinking that way. Your car's always been slow and
[00:41:57] Tyler: I, I view traffic is a good thing. People [00:42:00] listen to more of my podcasts and, you know, so,
[00:42:02] Jason Baffa: perfect. Yeah. Got ears.
[00:42:04] Tyler: well, what are your thoughts then on that? On that topic of the democratization of surfing then and like how that's affected surf film because when you started single thin yellow, you know, did that like people couldn't access the camera gear that you had and it would cost an insane amount of money to do it on film and all of those things.
[00:42:29] And now it's like. How many people have, you know, can make something so easily and so cheaply, affordably, I don't want to say cheap, affordably. Um, you know, but there is a lot of cheap shit out there too, but it is amazing. No, like I'm curious, like as a filmmaker has been in this game and. Also to be fair, you did help usher in this era with Blue Torch, but we won't go there.
[00:42:54] We're gonna get
[00:42:56] Jason Baffa: Aren't you? Uh, I blame Mark Jeremias. He was [00:43:00] my boss at blue torch. You can interview him about that, but, um, well, blue torch was truly again, ahead of its time because that, that company was built in the. com era by, uh, the Samuelis and they had a set top box chip that would allow you in practice and they were engineers working on this stuff.
[00:43:24] To pause footage and I could buy your shirt or I could buy the book behind you and it was all going to be integrated. But that set top chip allowed you to do that while watching cable TV. Now it was ahead of its time by leaps and bounds. We're there now on the Internet, right? I mean, I literally do get Instagram posts where I can pause it and buy Slater's trunks.
[00:43:45] And then they don't fit me and I'm pissed and I got to return them. But it is, so it was fascinating. And what I've always, and I was young when I got roped into that bit, they were, they were smart because these guys said, Hey, where are the young people? [00:44:00] Go that we want to connect with to sell this idea to, Oh, they're going to want to watch surfing and skateboarding and snowboarding.
[00:44:07] And how do we produce that stuff? Well, we need young people who know it. Right. And so that was the brain power behind it, which I think was brilliant. And it was just, it was a little ahead of its time, but you're right. The action sports and X games and, you know, fuel TV. All that kept kind of evolving thereafter.
[00:44:25] And, and I was like, well, the hell with this stuff. I want to go make movies because making a TV show for anyone listening in production, you know what I'm talking about? It's probably a little like doing a podcast. It's a,
[00:44:36] Tyler: heh.
[00:44:37] Jason Baffa: it's a treadmill kid. You think it's all talking and having fun, but yeah, it's just, you're, you're on the hamster wheel and it's great.
[00:44:45] I mean, look, it's a fun way to make a living, but, um, my brain did a little better with the project base.
[00:44:53] Tyler: Yeah.
[00:44:54] Jason Baffa: Um, and yeah, it, you know, even when you [00:45:00] think of what people ride, single fin yellow, Tyler Hatzikian is known for back then he was a bit of a standout for building things that were inspired from a certain era.
[00:45:12] And he always said, I try to evolve that design, imagining the shortboard never happened. So he kind of put parameters within what he would do. But when I wrote that board in Japan, there was no one else out in the water with a single fin glassed in log. When I wrote it in Hawaii, which is crazy, but this is, you know, 2001, 2002, 2003 on the North shore, it was all potato chip, long boards, tri fins.
[00:45:38] People were tripping out. Um, and that's obviously changed a ton. I think, you know, the seedling and that, and Joel, you know, all these things sort of happened around the same time. Um, And, and Joel in particular, I think deserves a lot of credit for the ride, everything. And, you know, it's okay to, to, to ride a longboard when it's small and [00:46:00] go smaller when it's big and, you know, whatever suits the conditions.
[00:46:03] And so a whole generation obviously grew up with that mentality. And, um, and now it's funny because, you know, some of those short, short board guys and gals I talk about here, I'll see him, what they do for fun is they get a foamy like, and then. They might not put fins in it or, you know, they may wear a weird hat, but that then is, is play and they don't have the classic log in their quiver like Devon Howard does, but that's just another tool in the toolbox.
[00:46:37] You know, it's like, it's small. And I, and I will say the thing with the foamies and God, I'm embarrassed to admit this, but you know, I've obviously been on one, it happens.
[00:46:45] Tyler: all have.
[00:46:46] Jason Baffa: And, um,
[00:46:47] Tyler: on one,
[00:46:48] Jason Baffa: There's something about them when you've been surfing for a long time. And my line is it, you can't take yourself too seriously because you're on this, but it, but [00:47:00] because of that, you're reconnected with why you like surfing in the first place.
[00:47:03] This is fun. I'm not expecting myself to do anything right. Or have my Tom Curren hands in the right place. Right. Um,
[00:47:11] Tyler: are low.
[00:47:12] Jason Baffa: much lower. Um, You know, nothing against all the great foam board manufacturers in the world who might want to sponsor a movie. Um, it, um, it's fascinating that way, you know, and I don't know if that's why Jamie rides one at pipeline.
[00:47:28] I imagine his antics may come with a paycheck, but
[00:47:32] Tyler: His, but his is also is he probably just got bored of making waves and in, in, on good boards. So he was just like, I need a challenge.
[00:47:40] Jason Baffa: I'm going to try to make it on this giant boogie board, which, and, and you know what, I guess I get that. And I think at the end of the day, that's sort of. My attitude, as long as people are having fun in the ocean, like you were saying, and if that opens up conversation of, of what we can do better, it should be doing better.
[00:47:57] I think that's good too. I, the [00:48:00] media side of it is, is frustrating for me. Not that I believe there should be a barrier to entry. I don't, because there's so many great stories to tell. I think it's the distribution end that's hard, you know, and now every surfer has their camera person. Filmer's always been like a four letter word for me.
[00:48:19] I kind of hate that term, but, um, their camera
[00:48:22] Tyler: First off, first off, it's videographer, okay? They're not shooting on fucking film.
[00:48:27] Jason Baffa: they're not even shooting on video. I don't know. It's, it's like a capture art, right? What did you capture with today? Uh, Oh, H two, six, four, you know, pro res light. Uh, sweet. Um, send me a file. So, you know, I think that I just I get a little worried that we and I'm I'm I'm part of the traffic I scroll and I watched the wave of the day from John John or from, you know, Nathan.
[00:48:58] Um, [00:49:00] and hey, it. It's amazing, and it puts that level of surfing in such, you know, on such a pedestal in a very immediate and awe inspiring way often. Um, but if we lose, I think, the campfire aspect, you know, which the Italians are so good at, right? Like, part of the session in Italy is the lunch or dinner you have afterwards and you talk about the session.
[00:49:28] That's part of the experience. And, um, you know, if, if every media clip is just going to be a one stop scroll and we only end up with a couple of these bigger brand videos, you know, I, I think that's too bad. And, and there's been some great work, you know, I, um, I know the film festivals get a lot of stuff.
[00:49:50] It's just, gosh, how do we get to see him thereafter? You know, and I don't have an answer to that.
[00:49:54] Tyler: Yeah, it's, it is, it is, I can't imagine, like, I [00:50:00] don't know how, How people make a living. I mean, like other than being some professional surfers, personal, you know, uh, capturer, if you will, um, you know, and that, you know, you could make a living as a surf filmmaker, you know, and now you really can't, you know, there was, you know, in the 90s, particularly was like the DVD golden age, you know, where God, the distribution Business was great, and, you know, you had, like, people making six figures who made a surf film, even.
[00:50:34] You know, and they weren't even high quality, you know?
[00:50:36] Jason Baffa: Yeah. It was a real business. And I mean that just in a top to bottom sort of way. There was buyers hungry for a product. There was shelf space. Um, you know, the parents, Would go for birthday presents or Christmas presents and drive it. So, you know, it, it wasn't even always about the, the hot new title, which obviously if you had, [00:51:00] um, could move the needle, but it was just this thing.
[00:51:03] It was right next to the hats and the t shirts, you know, and that was really cool. Um, and, and that is, I think. You're right. The big thing that, that changed. And, um, it, it fascinates me, you know, so say one, one California day, which, um, was finished around no seven, I think by the books, I always get confused when we premiered the movie and when the DVD actually came out, but it's Oh seven, Oh eight, something like that.
[00:51:32] And, um, you know, as you mentioned, we shot film and so the, it did have a big budget back then we would just, we'd shoot and transfer it all. And so that was. A per foot cost that you would absorb. We, we didn't pay ourselves. Um, which was dumb looking back on it, but I could change that. And so then you took it on the chin and then something like that.
[00:51:54] We were masochistic and Mark is a perfectionist. Mark Jeremias, who I made that film [00:52:00] with and his company build worldwide was fronting the costs. You know, he's a perfectionist. And so we've shot for, I want to say it was four winters and three summers. So it was about five years by the time things done.
[00:52:14] You know, maybe the budget was, uh, 240. I'm not
[00:52:20] Tyler: Oh, wow.
[00:52:22] Jason Baffa: it off the top of my head. Um,
[00:52:25] Tyler: Damn.
[00:52:26] Jason Baffa: was a sponsor at the beginning and they died before the film was done, which was actually great. Cause I
[00:52:33] Tyler: didn't die. They got bought by Walmart.
[00:52:35] Jason Baffa: yeah, the, the entity that we were working with was no
[00:52:39] Tyler: I know.
[00:52:40] Jason Baffa: and luckily they didn't own the project.
[00:52:42] And so we got to finish it. And I think we did get some money out of them. And, um, you know, we brought on investors and it was a full business model. But then when that thing went out, um, those are real units, you know, you're looking at 50, 000, 60, 000 units [00:53:00] and it's been a while, but I don't know, let's say you're producing them for a couple bucks a piece, so you'd have to front that, but then you'd sell to the shop for 14 or 15 and they would, they would They'd sell it for 30 to, you know, the average Joe who came in.
[00:53:15] So that, that markup at those numbers, you can start seeing like, wow, okay. You guys made money. Your investors made money all of a sudden. It's like, let's go do another one. It was so fun. Um, and, and now, I mean, I couldn't, I I'd have to rob a store naked and like wave things on fire to, to maybe get like 10, 000 people to buy, I think, digitally.
[00:53:42] It's crazy. And you look at, and you know, my good friend of mine is a filmmaker, not in surfing, but, uh, in the commercial space was saying he thinks the algorithms are lies. Like when you look at how many people your Instagram post hit or you boost it, he's like, I don't believe any of those [00:54:00] numbers. So I don't know, you know, but if you look at it, you're like, okay, you're getting eyeballs, you're getting likes.
[00:54:06] But the click through to like get somebody to buy something is very, very difficult.
[00:54:11] Tyler: it's really hard. And do you think doing live screenings are a way to help recoup that, or is it just even that more cost prohibitive? Like
[00:54:23] Jason Baffa: Well, yeah,
[00:54:25] Tyler: a theater
[00:54:25] Jason Baffa: no, I know. Right. Exactly.
[00:54:28] Tyler: insane.
[00:54:29] Jason Baffa: Yeah. And I don't, I, I don't know if people appreciate that part of it. Right. Um, I mean, I had always said, and that's why this is, uh, I, again, what I call a bit of an experiment because I feel, I don't know, it, it's just different than what I've done before. So it's hard for me to even put Frame it in the same thing.
[00:54:48] But I've always said, if I did another, say Bella Vita, I, I would focus more on the live screenings, but I would focus on ownership of them as opposed to doing every [00:55:00] festival out
[00:55:00] Tyler: Yeah.
[00:55:01] Jason Baffa: And with what you're saying, either build into the budget, the spend for marketing and theater rentals, right. On our end or partner with a sponsor who owns the screenings.
[00:55:15] So they don't own the film as an artist. You want to own what you create, but say, Hey, we're, we're going to make this. I need you to help me roll it out. And, um, I feel skiing has been good at that, you know, Warren Miller and some of these brands, TGR,
[00:55:31] Tyler: Teton. Yeah. Like, you
[00:55:32] Jason Baffa: They, and they get Nissan and they get, you know, and there's, there's probably a Nissan truck in that ski movie.
[00:55:38] Like you were saying, you get it,
[00:55:39] Tyler: placement.
[00:55:40] Jason Baffa: but it, it makes sense. I mean, we had
[00:55:42] Tyler: But skiers have more money than surfers too.
[00:55:44] Jason Baffa: Is that what it is?
[00:55:46] Tyler: Yeah, dude, come on. You bought you, have you bought ski equipment lately? It's like,
[00:55:51] Jason Baffa: I don't want to spend
[00:55:51] Tyler: a ski lift ticket? Like ski lift tickets, like 200 bucks for a day at Vail. Like you
[00:55:56] Jason Baffa: That's a good point.
[00:55:57] Tyler: you know, they're rich [00:56:00] affluent.
[00:56:00] So there's the marketing hook there. We're like, Oh, we have this affluent community who have lots of money to spend. That's the whole thing. Whereas surfers, I think that's probably changed, but it still feels that way. Or, or, or people think of it. Think of surfers still as dirtbags to a certain extent. Or cheap.
[00:56:19] Or
[00:56:19] Jason Baffa: culture. Yeah, we are. I mean, you know, even then the DVD day there, there was a lot of like one person buys it and then it gets, you know, passed around like the local, I won't say it, but, uh, so that is interesting. You know, you bring up a good point that I, you know, I should think about, but the pitch to that sponsor, to that, what I was going to say, buyer.
[00:56:42] They are going to look at that. Now, the thing with surfing, though, as you said, it's changing. It's getting so expensive for people to live at the beach. I mean, it is the surfers, the dirtbags are
[00:56:53] Tyler: They don't live there
[00:56:54] Jason Baffa: you're getting pushed out. I mean, I'm, you know, I'm hanging, I'm hanging on a thread here. [00:57:00] And
[00:57:00] Tyler: Surfing is gentrified, you know, or getting gentrified, you know, it's, it's interesting. Like I had some interesting conversations recently, some guests about this, like what that does to surf culture as a whole, even
[00:57:14] Jason Baffa: yeah,
[00:57:15] Tyler: cause if it only the rich can access the beach. Then what does that do to surf culture?
[00:57:21] What does that do to, you know, all of it, the competition, the, you know, you have then companies like Saturday's outer known, which make a premium product, which, you know, there's no, I'm not critiquing it. I'm just saying like, clearly that's geared towards those people who own the beachfront properties, you know?
[00:57:41] And that's like, it's. Are, are, I mean, you see this everywhere, not just in surfing, the hollowing out of the middle class and it's just either really expensive or really down and dirty cheap.
[00:57:50] Jason Baffa: yeah. Well, it seems to be the story of America these days, which is. It's, it's kind of hard to wrap your head around, you know, um, and [00:58:00] I've seen it, you know, so our son's 12 and very into surfing and even that, um, uh, ability to get to go to the Waco Wave Park, you know, or Slater's Park, and he's done some Waco trips, but we've like, we've raised money as a family for his Christmas present.
[00:58:17] It was like, this is what he wants. Because I'm like, dude, I can't send you to Waco once a month, like somebody, but he has friends who are kind of on that program and, and, and then he sees that level because you do at that age, you do see those reps pay off, um, and those kids come back and they're getting better and he's like, well, my friend's getting so much better and I'm like, yeah, but you know, You're a better person because of your, your, your suffering.
[00:58:43] Tyler: the value of a wave, the cost of a way,
[00:58:46] Jason Baffa: Yes.
[00:58:47] Tyler: although I will say, uh, in Bristol, the one in Bristol is like relatively affordable. It's like 50 pounds a session and you're exhausted at the, at the end of the session, like you're fucked.
[00:58:59] Jason Baffa: [00:59:00] Yeah.
[00:59:00] Tyler: it's pretty reasonable, at least I will say.
[00:59:03] Jason Baffa: I'm interested in trying the, I've never been in a wave pool. It's sort of against, you know, my thing, but I'm sure I'll go do it. It'll be just as fun as writing the foamy, right? Maybe I'll do it on a foamy. I'll just go all in.
[00:59:15] Tyler: you could. Why not?
[00:59:16] Jason Baffa: I'll get one of my Italian bathing suits, also known as a Speedo, and just do the whole thing.
[00:59:21] Tyler: Banana hammock. Yeah.
[00:59:22] Jason Baffa: you know, keep everything nice and cozy, and it's pink.
[00:59:28] Tyler: Ink is punk.
[00:59:30] Jason Baffa: But yeah, Pink is Punk. The one in Palm Springs has my interest because I always, you know, growing up in L. A., you'd go to Palm Desert, and especially for spring break, and be stupid. And I was always feeling like, Ah, if it was just an ocean, this place would be great.
[00:59:47] Tyler: I
[00:59:47] Jason Baffa: So, you know, it would be like Cabo, but
[00:59:50] Tyler: Yeah.
[00:59:50] Jason Baffa: So I am curious about the wave pool and just to see what that experience would even be like, you know, he's like,
[00:59:56] Tyler: I, one of my questions here is actually like, [01:00:00] no one has done anything of substance when it comes to wave pools and filming. And I am curious, like, if you would have any interest in exploring filming wave pool. Uh, wave pools, wave pool culture. I don't know if there's a larger narrative to be had with that.
[01:00:18] Um,
[01:00:18] Jason Baffa: I think there certainly is something there. It's come up a few times, believe it or not. So it's it's
[01:00:26] Tyler: I mean, you could choreograph surfers. You can really direct them like proper, like fucking, like, I want a fucking cutback, dip that hand in there. Next time. Don't fucking give me this shit. Yeah.
[01:00:40] Jason Baffa: and I, you know, exactly. And I had this conversation with my son watching the Olympics this summer, which was fun, you know, and he hadn't at that age, he hadn't really seen one where he kind of understood it on another level now that he's done some surf contests. And he was fascinated by the, the diving, the platform diving and gymnastics to a degree. [01:01:00] And both because of this idea that you go in saying you're going to do something, there's a criteria score and an execution score and his brain's all, that makes sense. Like I I'm in a heat and I'm kind of looking at the numbers and the other person's numbers and. So, you know, I, I do think we will see a wave pool version of that, you know?
[01:01:24] And, um, and, and yeah, and, and there will be people who specialize in that and, and that's great, and maybe they don't even go ocean surf, you know? It's like back country skiing. It's like, Whoa, that's for the crazy people. You could get eaten by a bear. It's like, I'm just going to surf the pool where the worst thing I can get is, you know, some kind of chlorine, Clorox chlorine
[01:01:47] Tyler: Some, some, uh, some, uh, cement burns on
[01:01:50] Jason Baffa: Cement Bird and Funkus. Um, yeah, it's fascinating. And, and, you know, so I'd almost answer it. Someone should be shooting it, but [01:02:00] I almost feel it's a little early, like the story's just unfolding. Um, and I think the characters are emerging, but you, you are going to have kids who rip, who, who like haven't been to the beach or at least, you know, maybe Hawaii or Mexico, and
[01:02:16] Tyler: Fucking Rick Haines everywhere.
[01:02:18] Jason Baffa: there's going to be Rick Canes everywhere, which is I mean, just once again, a notch in William Phelps movie, North Shore, being prophetic.
[01:02:29] Tyler: Yeah. Did you, what did you think of that movie? Uh, Sidebar.
[01:02:34] Jason Baffa: so, grew up,
[01:02:36] Tyler: you were been like in your teens when
[01:02:38] Jason Baffa: yeah, and we, even then, we found it funny and silly and loved it, and loved all the things that still get, you know, pointed out today. I mentioned William Phelps because I happened to just interview him recently for this other thing. And it, it's so fascinating because he's a guy that, you know, that was sort of his big hit, but [01:03:00] he came up in New York.
[01:03:01] He was spending time with Warhol and hanging out at the factory and had this really crazy backstory and ended up studying film on the West coast and getting to know Randall Kleiser, who directed Greece and Randall was the one who believed in Bill and had a house in Hawaii. And they kind of. Conjured up this thing that they pitched a universal and they went for it.
[01:03:23] But I know for him as a filmmaker, he kind of wished he had done more than this one movie, but at the same time, he's like, but you know, a lot of people love my movie, even if they kind of make fun of it, it's like, And I'm all, yeah, man, you got to own that. Like there's a lot of people who that's just a part of their media upbringing.
[01:03:42] Tyler: It had a profound effect, uh, on Surfer. Like, to me, that was my Karate Kid. That was, you know, it's really, it really is the Karate Kid type of story. And, to this day, my dream is, if I ever win the lotto, is to build a Rick Kane [01:04:00] quiver. Or a Chandler quiver. You know? Because that would be so cool to go through that motion of, like, riding the old Olo and, like, working your way down that whole quiver, like, I'd be curious to see what it does to our surfing, even after, you know, years and years of muscle memory.
[01:04:17] Jason Baffa: Yeah. I'm forcing my son to surf that way. He's, he has, he's still, you know, turning with
[01:04:22] Tyler: single fin, you're like, I'M GONNA RIDE THIS SINGLE FIN WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! DAD!
[01:04:27] Jason Baffa: tried, I tried for about a year and then, you know, as soon as he went to the surf camp thing, it was, uh, yeah,
[01:04:34] Tyler: It's all done.
[01:04:36] Jason Baffa: dad.
[01:04:37] Tyler: Back to the business model. What about like the Andrew Kidman version where he does a limited run and he charges, you know, he puts a book with it and he charges like, I don't know, like a hundred dollars, 150 for a set with like the book and the DVD and the digital access where he doesn't have to sell as many.
[01:04:59] [01:05:00] But he's, you know, you sell 1, 150 books. You know, you're, you're making money. I mean, not a lot, but it's something.
[01:05:09] Jason Baffa: it's you're you're right. And um, it's interesting, you know, but I guess devil's advocate is is is that then doing what we were just saying maybe isn't a good thing in general of right of kind of driving this ownership to a certain group. Um, certainly I think there's credence in that being a part of it.
[01:05:30] Um, you know, even down to some other ideas we've had on how you make them. Yeah. And including people in that process to get their financial help. Um, but being, letting it be a little more, um, immersive, I guess, for lack of a better word, and I'm being careful with my words, cause I don't want anyone else stealing this
[01:05:54] Tyler: Yeah,
[01:05:55] Jason Baffa: uh, it's, you know, I do think there is always a [01:06:00] way.
[01:06:00] Um, I just find as I get older and with two kids and, uh, you know, my wife's like, ah, you're off surfing and I'm, I'm working every day and, and, uh, I should probably be out directing commercials, not worrying about, you know, surf movies, but they, they're so darn fun and it's such an amazing audience, you know, when you for anyone who one hasn't even gone to a screening in a theater, right?
[01:06:25] You've been at many. That's an experience. And then when it's something you've created, it's, it's a hard experience to, to define. It's a bit addicting. It's scary as hell. Um, but it, it, there is something there that kind of keeps bringing you back, at least me, I know. And, uh, you know, and it, and it's wild and, and maybe it is just always something that gets balanced between other things, you know, which makes sense on a certain level.
[01:06:53] Tyler: How has the rollout for Confluence has been so far? Like how has it, [01:07:00] you know, have you felt so far about it and,
[01:07:02] Jason Baffa: I have a lot of trepidation, but then my wife reminded me it. So I've met my wife while I was making single finial. So she's known me through all of them. Um, she's like, you're always like this. You think people are going to hate it? Um, but I do just cause it's so different and it's so kind of not in my normal wheelhouse that people, you know, am I serving this audience?
[01:07:23] That's been so good to me. And it's that relationship. But what I am excited about is this life thing. And we're doing our first one on September 15th. Here in, um, in Carpinteria at a really old theater. That's a bit of a historical landmark. And, you know, in my opinion, it's really about a concert with some of my surf imagery up behind it.
[01:07:43] Um, and you know, I put it up on the surf network and other ways just to kind of play around with where things are at and how people digest stuff,
[01:07:53] Tyler: Yeah, you gotta be everywhere.
[01:07:56] Jason Baffa: I guess, you know, I figured I'd try and just see what that's like. [01:08:00]And that, that's been good. You know, you get that email from someone who's like this, I love this.
[01:08:05] This is perfect. This is what I needed. So it's, it's nice to hear that for that one. I don't know if there's 10 who didn't email me cause they hated it or not. You know, you can lose a lot of sleep thinking about that stuff. But, um, the feedback on social media has been great. The feedback on the live experience will be, will be seen in a, in a couple of weeks, literally.
[01:08:26] So,
[01:08:27] Tyler: Well, I think that's, I'm excited, like, that's a great concept, like, it's very, I remember, What Crystal Voyager was doing something like that at the Barbican in London, they did that and they had a Pink Floyd cover band do it and like, you know, and then you have like, um, what is it? The Australian chamber orchestra where they did the whole thing with Mick Sowery and like, um, the wreath, I think it was called, you know, and they did like a whole live experience.
[01:08:57] I got to see that. And, um, [01:09:00] you know, and in the city, it was, Mind blowing like that sort of stuff makes you want to go to a surf movie like going to a surf movie alone Has an appeal doesn't always appeal to certain people But this like adds a whole new element to it, which I think you know, there's some improve it improvises a improvisation
[01:09:24] Jason Baffa: And, and that's, you know, I've been talking to the guys is there, they've never done anything like this. So they're a little nervous if they're, we're not going to hit timings the way when it's edited, but that's okay. Like, let it be creative. And, you know, I've, I've mentioned to some people, but it's worth saying again, they may swap in tracks or try something new.
[01:09:44] And as that evolves, I may even swap in some new footage. I was even talking about doing an Easter egg. For this local one, which is funny because we haven't even shown it yet, but I'm like, well, since it's on the surf network, maybe we do something then I don't know in two weeks if we'll pull that off, but I [01:10:00] just want it to kind of be this living breathing thing that can do whatever it can do, depending on the support it gets, but also perhaps be a bit of a toe in the water for something.
[01:10:13] Bigger, you know, you, you bring up those shows. I saw per your lightsaber. I saw John Williams at the Hollywood bowl when I was maybe 10 or 11, my mom and dad took me and it blew me away. And you know, it was Raiders. It was star Wars. It was ET Superman. It was everything. And, and one could say, you know, those movies.
[01:10:33] aren't what they are without his, you know, artistic touch. So that moment and that experience, and they showed footage while the orchestra played, has always stuck with me. And I've thought about bigger iterations that are more than surfing and could you do something and, um, maybe this is my way of kind of testing the waters and who knows, you know,
[01:10:57] Tyler: few ideas I'm gonna throw out to you. If you don't like them, just [01:11:00] send them right back. But I think, alright, get the band to write narration lyrics to the song. This Connor Coffin, he's cruising down the line. He's smashing it off the lip. You know, or, or, You do a battle of the bands where you get different bands and you do different cuts and they have to Improvise on the spot like full full on Grateful dead fish improvise on the spot to the footage and see who can kind of get the momentum going.
[01:11:31] Jason Baffa: That is fun. Well, I'll tell you the band I think has seven people and you've been such a good proponent and curator of live shows. I'd say let's book one, but I don't, I can't afford to get all seven people across the country. So maybe we need to, you know, who's the sea poodle of the New York scene.
[01:11:48] Tyler: Just talk to Chris Chris Christian Tila pilgrim he'll get Andrew Wang Wine garden from MGMT, you know, and like, or maybe we get some DJs to do something where it's [01:12:00]like scratch record kind of on the spot.
[01:12:03] Jason Baffa: which is, you know, it is also interesting. It's, um, yeah, I think, look, I think music went through it, obviously, as you were joking a while ago and saw the benefit of the live experience
[01:12:19] Tyler: Mm
[01:12:20] Jason Baffa: and selling their merch. And it's just from a business standpoint, you know, and I do feel. Um, for surf media, it's, it's good to keep these things going and, and whatever, any of those ideas you threw out, if that gets a bunch of people together, uh, I think that's a good thing, you know,
[01:12:36] Tyler: well, you know, a lot of musicians did, um, is they would go on Spotify and they could see where their super listeners were and then they would set up a tour around that and they would see like, Oh, our stuff is getting played over and over again. You know, we have a bunch of super listeners in this city and we have a super bunch of super so they could go and know that they would be able to sell out [01:13:00] pretty easily because of that.
[01:13:01] And I wonder, like, I don't know if the surf video network has that or, or the surf network has that, or if YouTube provides that or anything like that. But I feel like there, there are ways we, you know, we could like look and find where the audiences are for these things
[01:13:18] Jason Baffa: I
[01:13:19] Tyler: might surprise you.
[01:13:20] Jason Baffa: boosted the trailer, um, via Instagram and Facebook and it does track your plays and what territories and regions are digesting it. So there is a little bit of that data, if we believe it.
[01:13:34] Tyler: Yeah
[01:13:35] Jason Baffa: I was interested out my the audience skewed older, which I found interesting. And maybe I shouldn't be surprised that because my titles are old now.
[01:13:45] I still think of myself as an immature little kid.
[01:13:48] Tyler: Well, the kids don't have the attention span to sit through a lot of it, too. Like that's, that's where I get worried about a lot of the content. It's like how the kids, you know, can they [01:14:00] sit through a whole movie? Can they enjoy it or appreciate it? Um, you know, do they, you know, do they still like the surf films or do they just want to see clips?
[01:14:11] You know, that's, and then also like the people who are creating like, Are they totally ignorant of what came before? You know, and, and the, the history and the influences that have come from all that. That shit scares me. We lose history because of that, I wonder.
[01:14:33] Jason Baffa: maybe. Maybe. Although I think there's probably some distillation that you know, like an osmosis of Creativity that gets down to the
[01:14:46] Tyler: Or, or we're just going to have really good AI programs making surf movies for us.
[01:14:51] Jason Baffa: Well, you know, I won't lie that part
[01:14:54] Tyler: played around? Have you,
[01:14:55] Jason Baffa: I have, I love it. Um, I'm, I'm on mid journey a fair amount. I [01:15:00] love it for, I mentioned that I had written a couple of things. And so in the commercial space, some, so many hours are spent building these decks. Right. To either sell an idea. I mean, we did decks. Back for one California day, even to, to get an investor on board on what your vision, you know, it's like, it's in my head, but you don't know what's going on there.
[01:15:19] And so now to have these programs where you can kind of get close to what's in your head or on some level is it's addicting and exciting. Um, creepy.
[01:15:30] Tyler: Yeah.
[01:15:31] Jason Baffa: I, I know movements already motions already happening. So I fully believe commercials on a certain level will live in that kind of workflow and, um, yeah, that it's scary as a, as a creator, I do think, you know, with surfing and documentaries, that is kind of one of the beauties.
[01:15:53] It's a little, what I was getting at with all that, why I kind of was like, I want to lean back into this world that. [01:16:00] You know, I think we'll be a little far off before we start faking this one.
[01:16:03] Tyler: Yeah.
[01:16:04] Jason Baffa: Um, and why would you want to on a, you know, on a certain level? Um, but it's, yeah, it's fascinating the way we're going and what the kids digest.
[01:16:16] My kids like it all, they'll do the YouTube shorts, they'll sit and watch a movie. So, but I I, I hear from a lot of parents, the shorts is all their kids want. They don't, they don't wanna, you know, be told a story, which is painful.
[01:16:31] Tyler: it sucks. I mean, it's, it's sad, you know, cause our whole society is based on stories. You know, like we tell ourselves stories, we, we imagine ourselves living these heroes journeys and whatnot every day. That helps us get through it. If you don't have those and all you have are influencers, Whatever doing dumb shit, you know, jackass type shit.
[01:16:56] Like people are going to get pretty depressed. I think, [01:17:00] well, they are. I
[01:17:00] Jason Baffa: we might already be
[01:17:01] Tyler: already there. We're already there. What am I talking about? Sorry.
[01:17:04] Jason Baffa: you know, we have high profile people just making up stories, right?
[01:17:10] Tyler: all the time.
[01:17:13] Jason Baffa: Tyler Wheat, you know, a confluence sold out to 200, 000 in Santa Barbara
[01:17:20] Tyler: Oh, I mean that, that might help gain momentum.
[01:17:24] Jason Baffa: it's the greatest thing. It's the greatest thing ever. Greatest ever. You'll ever experience this
[01:17:30] Tyler: Matt George calls it one of the best surf movies of all time. Paul Holmes raves about this. Chloe and Dino is all about confluence. You know,
[01:17:40] Jason Baffa: I
[01:17:41] Tyler: could just do a whole bunch of those and AI generated fake, fake, uh, fake AI of like famous surfers promoting it.
[01:17:49] Jason Baffa: that's good. Yeah. I should deep fake some stuff. I love this,
[01:17:52] Tyler: Gabriel Medina.
[01:17:54] Jason Baffa: Medina loves it. Trust me. I, yeah, I showed him an early version. He's working on his [01:18:00] part. For, uh, the V2. I, no, I did, there was just a thing that happened where, you know, Coppola's putting out this movie that's not getting the greatest reviews.
[01:18:09] And, um, I saw on Instagram an ad that was put out, I forget the company, if it's Lionsgate, whoever's buying it. And, and it was, it was early quotes from his other movies panning the movie. Movies that are now iconic and famous, right? So there's like, you know, biggest mess ever apocalypse now, and this is all this stuff.
[01:18:33] And then, so it's like, they're kind of baiting this, like, don't believe which I, um, I thought was genius. I'm like, wow, okay. This thing got bad reviews. And some, some very smart person said, this is how we can market this. I've now heard that they were making up these bad panning quotes. Like they made up the trash talking and had to remove it and posted some apology. It's like, holy shit, what is going on with the world? So it's still a [01:19:00] great idea. I give them a lot of credit, but
[01:19:02] Tyler: Kudos.
[01:19:02] Jason Baffa: at least, yeah,
[01:19:03] Tyler: real quotes,
[01:19:04] Jason Baffa: I know.
[01:19:05] Tyler: be real bad quotes about his movies at
[01:19:08] Jason Baffa: somebody at some point didn't like something. It always
[01:19:12] Tyler: just, just take one of his John, you know, take John Milius movie or something and then you're good.
[01:19:17] Jason Baffa: And then you get, yeah, gold North shore
[01:19:20] Tyler: things. Yeah.
[01:19:21] Jason Baffa: stylistically, beautiful, but disconnected at the heart. Yeah.
[01:19:25] Tyler: Great humor. Great use of professional surfers.
[01:19:30] Jason Baffa: Laird Hamilton is the future of acting. Uh, do we, so, you know, where, where do we put our foot down as parents, as consumers? You know, I pose that to everybody listening. It's, it is a dance for sure. And that's where you find the meme of, you know, someone with their hair on fire, I guess. Uh, but it's fun that so many people can, can create.
[01:19:55] I mean, I do think that's a beautiful thing.
[01:19:57] Tyler: it, it is on one [01:20:00] level, like it's, it's amazing, like what's some of the stuff people are doing and like, even, you know, some of the, some of the things, I mean, you go on Vimeo, it's insane still, like how much stuff gets pumped out, that's beautiful and phenomenal and can get turned into something even grander, you know, like I just watched, um, you know, animated series scavengers reign on Netflix and it's fucking beautiful, but it came from like this small art house You know, you know, kind of animation that ran in some short film festivals and HBO greenlit it, and it's fucking one of the greatest things I've ever seen, actually, like phenomenal.
[01:20:40] And, uh, you know, so there's, it's there. And I think these tools allow us to. Try new stuff in an affordable way, but there's also going to be so much more junk out there to sift through. And that's,
[01:20:55] Jason Baffa: yeah, that's the hard part.
[01:20:58] Tyler: that's maybe a new [01:21:00] job is the, the content curator is what we need, you know,
[01:21:04] Jason Baffa: no, you're right. And
[01:21:05] Tyler: not, not critics, curators,
[01:21:07] Jason Baffa: but even, you know, like this project for me, and it was a friend who kind of put that thought in my head. It's think of it. It's like a playlist that I'm curating to say here for 40 minutes. Trust me, it's not going to be total dog shit. You know, maybe it's maybe it's not every clip you would want to see when you're scrolling, but I think you can hang out and enjoy this You know, and, and relax to it and not have to think too hard and be entertained.
[01:21:37] And hopefully I've earned that through the projects I've done. Like, how do we do that moving forward? I, I don't know. I mean, there is, there's something to be said. I mean, you're a person who's been involved in so many screenings and the media scene, you know, is it, is there some iteration of a platform?
[01:21:55] That is curate, you know, and it's maybe it's a 501c, you know, [01:22:00] um,
[01:22:00] Tyler: I think for surfing, I mean, uh, I'll put my, I raised my hand
[01:22:05] Jason Baffa: yeah, I, I would too. I would, I would nominate you
[01:22:08] Tyler: Well, I was going to say you too, but like, you know, there, I think there's something there
[01:22:14] Jason Baffa: Because there is cool stuff being made, right? You know, I mean, you, I was just on the, the, the ticker from the festival going on in France and, and the movies looked really dope. Like, I'm all, this looks cool. I have no way to see them. I'm not going to get on a plane. And I, you know, I don't know where they're going to end up.
[01:22:32] And so, you know, kind of the way the shop owner used to have the DVD section at the surf shop. What is our version of that? And, you know, I challenged the
[01:22:43] Tyler: Well, I did talk, I mean, I pitched once, I think like it's something with like the surf network, like they should like sponsor influencers and then have them create their playlist of [01:23:00] films, you know, and you could do set up an affiliate program where they get like a certain percentage of the. The screening or something like that.
[01:23:07] Like there's, there are ways I think to do it and could be fun. The other thing I wonder, and I wonder if filmmakers would be open to this is what if you did this film, right? Confluence, you put it out. It's amazing. People love it. What if you put out then like, Hey, I'm putting this footage out. And if you want, you can open, I'm open sourcing the footage and you can edit it however you want and take different tracks and music and encourage people to create something new out of your older footage, maybe even charge a little bit to access it, but it allows them to do something like that.
[01:23:46] Jason Baffa: Yeah. I think that would be, you know, truly opening the creative pathway. It scares the crap out of me. That idea. I mean, there's some guy who's got an edit of our sand spit [01:24:00] stuff from one California day, mixed in. into some other stuff and doesn't even, he credits other people, not even
[01:24:06] Tyler: Oh no.
[01:24:07] Jason Baffa: And, and that drives me nuts, but it's, it's a cool piece of work.
[01:24:11] Like, you know, it's like nice music track that's on YouTube. You can go try to hunt it down. So it even happens just because of how, you know, especially with digital files, right? This stuff is out there.
[01:24:24] Tyler: I just screenshot it, you know? Like, you just screen record and, like, it's crazy, like, what you can
[01:24:30] Jason Baffa: You drop it in. Um, but you're right there, there is something cool, you know, um, about letting people play with this stuff and, uh, I'd rather do it with like students, you know, or
[01:24:46] Tyler: Well, that's something that could be done, though. I mean, Orits could be like, I don't know, it could be a masterclass, even. Where you're teaching, you know, filmmaking, and surf filmmaking, and then encouraging [01:25:00] people, you know, so then you're getting paid for the class, and then they are exploring how they can reshoot your, re edit your stuff.
[01:25:07] Jason Baffa: sure. And, and it, uh, you know, when I was at film school, we, our editing class, we used the old film movie Ola. So like the thing you have up behind you, I think it's out of view right now, but you had all these cans and they gave us a gun smoke, which is a 1950s
[01:25:24] Tyler: man,
[01:25:25] Jason Baffa: show, right? And they gave us all the dailies from the different camera angles and you had to cut what you thought the story was, you know, and so on, on one, it's like a guy and he's looking around and then there's a closeup of someone grabbing a gun.
[01:25:38] But as you get this, you have no clue what the script was. I don't think any of that was even given. And then you cut the, what you think is the best scene. And it was a great exercise and the good editors, mine wasn't very good. Um, make something brilliant, you know, if not better than what ended up, you know, in the, in the TV show.
[01:25:58] Uh, so there is something to [01:26:00] be said about that and allowing people. And, and if you think of all these movies and you think of the fact that on any of them, a different editor. Would be such a different movie. It's, it's very, it's, it's a power, it's a powerful
[01:26:13] Tyler: star Wars, George Lucas's wife saved Star Wars basically. You know, like it was apparently George's edit was not as good. And then his wife got in and like. Really drove certain scenes and like made the film what it was. It, and an editor is so crucial
[01:26:33] Jason Baffa: Yeah.
[01:26:34] Tyler: you know, so that, yeah, I don't know. I just like to brainstorm with creative people like you and throw shit out there and see if it sticks.
[01:26:44] What, so now what are you working on next? Cause you, I read like you were working on some other projects, potentially some more thematic, more narrative driven stuff.
[01:26:56] Jason Baffa: Yeah. So I have,
[01:26:57] Tyler: Without telling too much, of
[01:26:58] Jason Baffa: no, that's fine. I have [01:27:00] a couple of things written. One, we've been talking to financiers about it's a, it's a indie feature that, um, is a little bit. forward, future based, but the log line, it's, it's almost becoming a little silly now when I first wrote it a few years ago, it felt even more so, but a tech brand specialist gets trapped in the autonomous driving vehicle he helped design.
[01:27:23] Tyler: Oh, that's.
[01:27:24] Jason Baffa: So it was meant to be an indie film and like a contained space, you know, a guy trapped in a box story. And it's got a little bit of Jurassic Park in that the corporation doesn't want certain things to get out in the media. And it's just fun. It's like what I loved about movies growing up, you know. It's kind of got the War Games, uh, spirit.
[01:27:45] little bit based on Spielberg's duel where the truck is chasing Dennis Weaver, the traveling salesman that influenced it a lot. And I'm ready to go shoot it. You know, the things in my head, give me a firewire, stick it up my ass, I'll spit [01:28:00] it out and we can, we can all watch it. But you know, a movie like that, the, the early budgets are between five and 10 million.
[01:28:06] And that part of the industry, It's just gotten shattered in recent times. So we did a rewrite to try to get down to closer to five where there is some more financing opportunities and we're waiting, I'm waiting to hear back actually from one of those said financiers. So that could be exciting. It's, you know, it's a big departure from my repertoire, but it's the kind of movie I love.
[01:28:30] So I feel my brain knows the language and, um, you know, the idea of
[01:28:36] Tyler: that's, you know, that's probably, you know, something to do with your midlife crisis, right?
[01:28:41] Jason Baffa: a hundred percent,
[01:28:42] Tyler: that, that whole dream, which
[01:28:44] Jason Baffa: a big part of it.
[01:28:46] Tyler: I'm curious, like what spurred that crisis then?
[01:28:49] Jason Baffa: You know, no, it, it had been in me for a while. And there, there's a, there's a long running joke with my wife and I, that I would watch the Academy Awards every time and just be [01:29:00] bawling. And she's like, why are you crying? Like it's an award show. And all the, I, and I'm like, I, I feel that I didn't give my love for that, this type of movie,
[01:29:13] Tyler: Yeah.
[01:29:14] Jason Baffa: the due credit, because I, I fell into the surf thing in a way that it was organic.
[01:29:19] And there was success and it's fun. And probably there's certain things. I was just reading an article about CTE. I've, I've been hit in the head a lot of times, and there may be some plaque, anxiety issues that, you know, surf life, right. It's pretty cool and casual. Um, not that making a movie ever is, but, um, it's just been an easier path.
[01:29:42] And I, I got mad about that. Like kind of like short, you know, shorting what I felt.
[01:29:48] Tyler: you?
[01:29:52] Jason Baffa: got to step back as my wife is very good at putting me in my place and look at the stuff that was created and you know, how many people have enjoyed those [01:30:00] and the fact that you know, whether I did something I wrote or not is irrelevant really, but, um, that was, that was a big part of it.
[01:30:08] And then the other part, which actually kind of happened, making loopers of all things, which, you know, talk about a niche film that's like beloved by golfers and, and,
[01:30:18] Tyler: so brilliant. It's like, how has no one made a film about
[01:30:22] Jason Baffa: about the caddy and, and all the credit, you know, Jim Packard kind of spearheaded that project. He, he did spearhead it. He saw that, you know, he's like, nobody's talking about these guys.
[01:30:31] There's been some books and it changed the narrative in golf media. They now bring the caddy, they interview him after, you know, tournaments.
[01:30:40] Tyler: dude, they're the, they're probably the best people to be in to interview
[01:30:43] Jason Baffa: well, they are, I mean, that's the funny thing, right? You know, they're so colorful and these characters. And so it was a very fun movie to make on that level.
[01:30:51] But at the same time, um, We went in not knowing what that story was. It's like, we're just going to start talking to these people. And my brain, like [01:31:00] somewhere in the middle of that, I'm like, I, this is exhausting. I, I, I'm not enjoying that part of the process. Like I I'm enjoying now at this stage of my life when I've got a set of parameters and I want to go execute at a very high level and, and kind of work within that.
[01:31:18] And you're always going to run into problems. And so then that becomes. What's exciting. Cause it's like, how quick can we think on our feet and pivot and, and make something else happen. We did a lot of that in the Disney series, chasing waves, which we haven't talked about, but was another journey. And so, you know, between that, but really that loopers and just sort of this idea of where I am in life.
[01:31:38] I said, I'm, I'm going to take time off and I'm going to write. And at least then when I die, I can say, I wrote a couple of things that I really like. I'd love to see them made, even if they don't get made, at least the work went I reconnected with a part of me that I kind of lost because I wrote a lot as a kid and for whatever reason just got intimidated and, you know, was afraid [01:32:00] to sort of use that muscle.
[01:32:01] Tyler: you think surfing, surfing can make us complacent?
[01:32:06] Jason Baffa: Well, I think it's an amazing distraction
[01:32:09] Tyler: Yeah.
[01:32:10] Jason Baffa: and, and I think, you know, there's been a lot about ADHD and, and, and I think some surfers have come out who, who really feel surfing's helped them. I do find the people who are attracted to surfing, whether it's an ADHD or whatever it is, there's There is something about how much is going on in not just the act, but finding where you want to surf and you know, what board you're writing and then the conditions and all this changing.
[01:32:39] And then literally once you're on a wave, how much you kind of have to focus, but in that you'd let everything else go. It seems to attract a certain type of person
[01:32:49] Tyler: Or, or it conditions a type of
[01:32:51] Jason Baffa: Or maybe that's, you know, I, I, um, I don't have my doctorate in psychology or, uh,
[01:32:58] Tyler: That's why I have you [01:33:00] on the couch
[01:33:00] Jason Baffa: yeah, this is good.
[01:33:02] Tyler: tell me about your parents.
[01:33:04] Jason Baffa: you know, yeah, they're wonderful actually, but, uh, we haven't found the problem yet.
[01:33:10] It's, uh, again, hitting the head. I got my first concussion when I was three. I tried to climb up to the cookie jar. And I fell and I was out. I was out until the ambulance got there. My
[01:33:22] Tyler: Oh my gosh! Ha ha
[01:33:28] Jason Baffa: the first one.
[01:33:29] Um, so I, you know, it's, it's, it is an interesting experience. I know for me, there's a lot of happiness I draw from
[01:33:42] Tyler: Yeah.
[01:33:45] Jason Baffa: I'd learned that later in life on the crowded day at Rincon. That's when I swim the photos that I put up on Instagram. I get the same buzz, um,
[01:33:54] Tyler: Yeah.
[01:33:57] Jason Baffa: set waves.
[01:33:59] I just like being [01:34:00] out there and being in it. And, and it's less stressful than dealing with the crowd from my mind. Um, but for me on a big board, there's a lot of days where I can have fun kind of on my own. And those are the days that truly like fill the cup, you know,
[01:34:14] Tyler: hmm. Yeah.
[01:34:19] Jason Baffa: I quit jobs because the thing do I enjoy waking up and not wearing shoes?
[01:34:25] Do I, yeah, you know, there's a lot that, um, yeah, that probably, you know, steal me from a normal job.
[01:34:32] Tyler: Well, it's also like, I feel like to, to, for, to make mainstream cinema, a lot of times it's, it's a shit ton of networking, it's a shit ton of having to, for better or worse, kiss ass to people, and like, maneuver to get to know people, like, it's, it's definitely like a dog eat dog world there, and that's also, I think, could be a bit of a deterrent.
[01:34:59] From [01:35:00] exploring that too, I would imagine, you know, that, that whole aspect to it,
[01:35:03] Jason Baffa: yeah, it's, it's, um, it's scary and a little, and I guess intimidating is maybe a better word. I. And it's funny, I, I made Single Fin Yellow with the complete intent to do something that was my, you know, what a Tarantino took Reservoir Dogs to, I forget if it was Sundance or what. I wanted a piece of work that stood out, it was something I knew, right, do what you know.
[01:35:31] And, um, I thought I would then be directing Hollywood movies. I mean, that, that's where I was a little crazy. Uh, but you know, in a way I have gone on and made some great collaborative friends in the film business, um, who are working in that stratosphere, uh, through that project. So in a weird way, it kind of worked.
[01:35:53] It just. You know, I probably, what I needed was the script in hand saying, this is what I'm going to do next. And, um, [01:36:00] I wasn't thinking about it that way. And, and it's probably a fun message for, for younger people to hear. You know, if, if you have a goal in the arts, it is always a little bit of that, like, what do you want to do next?
[01:36:11] You know, where are you going next? What's the, and so having that thing queued up is, is good. And I was never good at it in my, you know, kind of my earlier days. Cause I was so focused on getting. The one done and doing it right, you know, um, cause he grind and I like to have fun. So that's always, that's a little tricky too.
[01:36:32] Tyler: How was it doing the chasing waves then? And with like Disney plus, you know, streaming and like one seeing it up there, but also to like, that process must've been different than, than some of the other films, no?
[01:36:48] Jason Baffa: it, it was very different. Yeah. You're, you know, for one, the, the budget was large, so you had more resources, which is sort of what, that was the carrot.
[01:36:58] Tyler: feel? How
[01:36:59] Jason Baffa: was the carrot [01:37:00] that, that lured me in. But then the, the, like the craziness of that world is you're looking at this number. And I forget now, I think we, for our total episodes, maybe we had seven or 8 million to do everything.
[01:37:15] So you're looking at, you know, a good amount of money per episode and an episode was bought at an hour, but we were, they wanted them shorter. They're like streamer and people, they watch 40, 44 minutes. So a lot of resources are going into that. But then I would talk to my line producers, sort of like your, your field general.
[01:37:32] Right. And I'd say, okay, well, you know, make sure we have a water cam. Well, I don't have money for that. I'm like, how do we not have money for like the most important
[01:37:41] Tyler: dollars! Like, come on! Where is that money going?
[01:37:44] Jason Baffa: should buy one and no, we don't buy gear because that's, there's a lot of, you know, insurance liability. So there was a lot of me having to kind of in, in back and struck them on how surfing needs to be handled.
[01:37:57] Which isn't, you know, you're not going to schedule, [01:38:00] people didn't get that. Like, Oh, we can't schedule them to be there with the lifeguard and the camera crew and all the rental gear. And you're going to get what you need. I'm like, no, no. So that, I mean, I, I truly had a bit of a nervous breakdown. Um, and, and it was hard, you know, we were coming.
[01:38:17] What we thought was out of the pandemic, but the pandemic lingered and what it, what it did, you know, all of these things are learning experiences, but what it did teach me is trusting collaborators because. We ended up hiring crew in Japan and I never even went to Japan. And these people were, you know, pulling off frame style, frame stuff.
[01:38:40] I was sending them conversations. We'd have, we'd get to see their footage and give feedback because the shoot was so long. So that was good. But it was this idea of like, you're a creative person. I trust your eye, go have fun, you know, and do it, but do it this way. And, and, you know, do it your way, but you know, we're going to give you some [01:39:00] parameters.
[01:39:00] Yeah, but, but, you know, even on a very simple level, it's like, we're going to shoot on red with a prime lens, not a zoom lens, you're going to have a fixed lens. And so when you want a wide, you got to put your wide lens on. And if you want to shoot surfing, you got to put the long lens on. And you know, people would piss and moan like that's harder like that.
[01:39:16] And so, Hey, I've done it. You can do it. Trust me. This'll kind of give everything a look that feels. Consistent. And so it was a little things like that. And then just believing in them to, to do good work. And so I, I think that part of it was actually eye opening and rewarding and probably something I needed to go through before I could ever go make a scripted, you know, feature
[01:39:40] Tyler: Well, yeah, like in the surf movie, you're kind of, you're almost like a one man show and somebody's like, you have a little bit of a team, but you're mostly one, one person show. And then here you're whole, you've got, like you said, people in Japan shooting for you, which that takes a lot of trust.
[01:39:58] And that's also [01:40:00] like, really, I can understand the anxiety you would get from
[01:40:02] Jason Baffa: Well, the, I think the anxiety was more from the fact that it was surfing with a Disney label and then my name somewhere in there, you know, and, and like, wow, you know, again, I don't want to, and especially the Japanese audience who have been really supportive of my work, you know, I don't want to shit the bed for lack of a better expression.
[01:40:24] I got to bring this for them. I don't want to embarrass any of these people who were giving their time to be on camera. So, you know, all that stuff gets in your head and, and then when you don't, when you can't quite control it the way you're used to, it's a, it's a little maddening. And I'm sure anyone, you know, it's a bit like dealing with a toddler, right?
[01:40:41] You want them to do something, but you can only take it so far. And then by the time you have your second kid, you know that you're like, Oh yeah, you know, it's, they're, they're going to be fine. So it was an interesting experience, to say the least, and, um, I'm proud of what was accomplished, and
[01:40:59] Tyler: It's [01:41:00] beautiful.
[01:41:00] Jason Baffa: I'm sad that it got, you know, shelved along with all those other Disney shows, so it's, you can't, you can't predict that kind of stuff, um, but, uh, that's, that's life in our, yeah,
[01:41:13] Tyler: You know, that's the whole thing. The streaming model doesn't work, it's finding. Like, now they have ads on everything and it's like, Oh, now we're paying more for the same shit we had 10 15 years ago,
[01:41:25] Jason Baffa: Isn't that funny? I know we watch stuff on Hulu and I get these advertisements like, wait, don't I pay for Hulu? And
[01:41:31] Tyler: I, I thought I paid for the non advertisement version, yet I get ads, or Amazon, I'm like, Prime, I thought I had no ads, oh, now I got ads, like, it's, it's so, that whole thing is maddening, uh, and frustrating, almost, you
[01:41:46] Jason Baffa: yeah. And I think everybody's in it. And how many people do we know are cutting the cord to cable and all that? So I, and I get it. And, and I guess I'm part of the traffic on one end on both sides of
[01:41:57] Tyler: I would go back to cable though if [01:42:00] they, if they were offering
[01:42:01] Jason Baffa: Hmm.
[01:42:01] Tyler: this, the, the, the shows and stuff on cable, I would go back to cable. I would watch ads then. I would totally be fine with that. Like I'm paying just as much, you know, if not more and fuck man. And I just, Give me more than eight fucking episodes of something, too. Like, Acolyte could have been really good if it were 15 episodes instead of eight, damn it, you know?
[01:42:27] Jason Baffa: yeah. Well, that, that, that's some, somebody with an abacus and a suit going. Yeah, I hear you come back for season two if the numbers are good. Um, yeah, it's. I will say from a content creation standpoint, the model of not having to build ad breaks into your program is so liberating, right? And you do feel, even with our Disney series, like, okay, we can kind of be a little free in where we take this.[01:43:00]
[01:43:00] And non traditional for good or for bad. Um, but yeah, it's
[01:43:05] Tyler: But people are being conditioned on YouTube now to just accept a commercial break in the middle of something, you know? And podcasts too, like I gave up doing commercial breaks because I was like, fuck it, I don't want to just, I don't want to just scroll through this whole thing to find an area that's the perfect spot for a break.
[01:43:24] Just let it go. And, uh, I think everyone's getting conditioned to that too.
[01:43:28] Jason Baffa: Yeah. Yeah. And that, you know, that is part of it. It's what is the audience appetite and or a threshold.
[01:43:36] Tyler: What do you, what do you watch now that is surfing? Like, do you, are you watching any, any surf filmmakers or surfers or, you know?
[01:43:46] Jason Baffa: Yeah. I, you know, I, I, like I said, I am on the gram and keep an eye, you know, I get bombarded by stuff because of what I post, I post almost all surfing because of it. If I dare do anything, but it gets like [01:44:00] four likes, right? It's very, it's,
[01:44:02] Tyler: profile to find the niche,
[01:44:03] Jason Baffa: I, I'm going to have to be like, yeah, Jason Balfour, Phil Murr, uh, for my sci fi fans, it's, it's depressing, but, um, even with loopers, you know, I've put up golf stuff, but it was just like people would get pants, but I, um, I like the need essentials work, like the, the Torn Martin stuff.
[01:44:23] Um, I'm blanking on the name of it, but
[01:44:25] Tyler: That guy, Ishka, Ishka. Is
[01:44:29] Jason Baffa: it's like, because I think it, it, it's a great example of obviously someone who's got a pretty good handle on his craft. And, um, because their footprint seems very small, but there's a lot of production value that they're getting.
[01:44:43] And I love that. And, um, and I also know that it's not easy to pull that off. You're working. And so, um,
[01:44:52] Tyler: He learned how to drive a boat, learned how to sail a boat on the spot, you know, like, Come on.
[01:44:58] Jason Baffa: small detail. [01:45:00] Um, so that's, that's really been one that I've kind of kept my eyes on what those guys are doing. And, um, yeah, not a ton of other stuff. So I might, we got a puppy this summer.
[01:45:12] He just came in. I guess he can hang out. Um, yeah, I'm trying to think of what else I watched recently. I mean, I love watching John, John surf, John. And it's. That's what I'm supposed to call him. Um, and you know, and I love his team who obviously have a great box of tools, uh, with some good resources, but.
[01:45:35] Knudsen does great work and I know he likes to ride longboards. So I got to give him a shout out cause that's always fun. Uh, and, and their stuff is, it's gorgeous, right? I mean, it really is on so many levels, this higher level, um, It's funny putting this edit together. I realized, I think part of my interest is flow, like power and [01:46:00] flow.
[01:46:01] And I do want to say publicly, it's embarrassing, um, representation of female surfing and as if there's about two waves of soleil and we tried to shoot, I wanted to shoot a little more with her and there should be more, I think at this point in my life, I just had more guy friends than girlfriends and, and it was kind of just me shooting with my friends is, you know, if we do another one.
[01:46:23] I will change that. Or maybe as if we evolved this one, there can be some, some other athletes on the female side for sure that get integrated. Um, I keep speaking of women. I keep an eye on, uh, Dave Ross, which is wife, Lauren Hill, who was in Bella Vita and what she's doing. And I love that little film they did about
[01:46:43] Tyler: Oh, I love that. It was
[01:46:45] Jason Baffa: creative, right.
[01:46:46] And
[01:46:46] Tyler: so cute. It was adorable
[01:46:48] Jason Baffa: just great. It was great. And, you know, what, what she. I just what she stands for and is, I think, really cool. So I keep my eye on on her feed. And if she [01:47:00] tells me to check something out, I'm usually gonna jump on that. Um, the seeking, right?
[01:47:06] Tyler: Yeah, Siakin, Siakin, or, Yeah, I don't want to butcher it, but yeah, she's,
[01:47:11] Jason Baffa: do.
[01:47:12] Tyler: She's amazing and like, I just, I think, I think there's stuff out there that I think there's still enormous opportunity for creativity and surf and like, you know, I get to see, uh, you know, I'm a jury member in the London Surf Film Festival.
[01:47:28] I get to see a lot of the stuff that's out there. I mean, I just watched, uh, that Sid Abruzzi documentary.
[01:47:34] Jason Baffa: I'm hearing good things.
[01:47:36] Tyler: phenomenal, like gets you in tears and it's like a really great story and the footage is insane and you're like, holy shit. So it's, it's still great stuff being put out. It's just, I feel like it's hard to find because you, you get sucked into these streaming services and you just scroll on those things as opposed to going to a place like the [01:48:00] Surf Network or, you know, Even Vimeo or whatever, looking for surf sometimes.
[01:48:04] And you, you kind of forget it, you know, the other, the other one I love is to stab, uh, how pro surfers get paid is probably like one of the best things that's ever been put out. Actually, Geordie Smith is needs his own fucking show, his own podcast
[01:48:21] Jason Baffa: yeah, I don't. I haven't seen that.
[01:48:23] Tyler: Oh man. I highly recommend it.
[01:48:25] Jason Baffa: All right.
[01:48:26] Tyler: Well, I love the movie confluence. Like I thought it was beautiful. I got to watch it and it's like. It's stunning and like it made me like oh, I need to take a gummy and sit and really absorb this
[01:48:41] Jason Baffa: I'm glad you said that because that that might be the yeah, you know,
[01:48:45] Tyler: You know,
[01:48:45] Jason Baffa: a glass of wine, but it's, it's got a gummy vibe.
[01:48:48] Tyler: It's got a great coming by the music and everything but like holy shit Like your water photography is top notch like you Get into their [01:49:00] fucking like you could see the whites of their eyes in the barrel or the red whatever it is, you know But like it's it's really good and and you don't see Like I don't want to call it surf porn, but it has the you know, but it is
[01:49:16] Jason Baffa: a bit,
[01:49:17] Tyler: quality surf porn like It's, it's the shit you pay for.
[01:49:22] It's not on Pornhub. You know, this is like, next level. You know, this is, this is Cinemax style. No, no, just kidding.
[01:49:30] Jason Baffa: I think that's perfect. Well, you know, I think that it's worth, thank you. And I would like to say on that, I. You know, part of what I loved when I grew up, I was watching NFL films like Steve Sable, and there was the tight, slow motion stuff. And a lot of that's gotten into my movies, but for me, this was sort of a way to just explore that.
[01:49:51] And, you know, there's some stuff of Chris Del Moro that we shot ages ago, where you can really see the water coming off the rail of his longboard, [01:50:00] I don't know if that was 240 frames per second or something ridiculous that I find if I put on Instagram, people are like, okay, now it's slow. But in this space, when you kind of just sit back and like I was saying earlier, right, don't overthink it, just kind of let it permeate.
[01:50:17] And that, that was excited and I'm excited to see it big. You know, I think that'll be interesting too.
[01:50:22] Tyler: oh my gosh, I can't.
[01:50:25] Jason Baffa: was the, um, I used to love the, And this is nothing like that. But the, uh, with all the time lapses, the early, um, Koyanostansky, right? Where, I don't know if you saw those art, art films.
[01:50:40] Um, I'll send you a link. Yeah, it's cool. It's, it, it's just visual. It's a visual feast, you know, where you sit back and you're just sort of. sucked into music and imagery. Um, and you know, that was a bit of the experiment here. So I'm, I'm glad. See, now that's, I think that's two or three people that [01:51:00] gave it thumbs up.
[01:51:00] So that's,
[01:51:01] Tyler: Yeah, you can use my quotes, uh, for it, you know, I'll have the transcript on, you can use it. Tyler
[01:51:07] Jason Baffa: t shirts are already getting printed. My
[01:51:09] Tyler: Tyler said, Tyler Brewer of Swell Season Podcast says, this movie is primo. No, but it is, it's like. And I miss, I feel like I don't get to see a lot of that because of social media and everything, like you don't get to see the, the tight cropping, the up close and that slow motion.
[01:51:30] And you do slow motion, right? Like, and I don't see slow motion a lot in surfing anymore. And when I have sometimes like it's used too much, too excessive, like it's just the right amount in this, which I think is, is beautiful. And, uh, you know, it, it makes me though, long for the days of like, Kind of some good surf porn too.
[01:51:56] We don't even have that anymore, you know? And, you know, like [01:52:00] I, I also was thinking like before this interview, like one of the things I miss about surf films is like the yearbook surf film, like the Chris Bystrom stuff where he would do film all year, edit it. And then it almost was like a recap of the year.
[01:52:15] He had world tour stuff, travel. Like I miss that a lot. I think there is a market for that.
[01:52:21] Jason Baffa: Yeah. And that, you know, this may inspire a little bit of that kind of model. Um, especially if, if the, the synergy with Ziobaffa works, it's like, um, you know, there's some other little things I've wanted to do with Ziobaffa, but it's, it's kind of, you never know what's going to land first. And so it's been fun to integrate that support system.
[01:52:45] Um, because then it's a little less. Stressful, right on, how am I going to get this made? And, and no, it's not cozy Cuervo or, you know, barefoot wine with big, big budgets, but we were able [01:53:00] to create without limitations, uh, for good or for bad, right, you know, and, uh, and, and now explore it. So I think, um, It'll be fun.
[01:53:12] It'll be fun to see what it's like with a lie. I don't know what the band's going to pull off live. Cause I think they're a little bit like, I don't know. We don't know where we've never done this. So it'll
[01:53:22] Tyler: they're going to practice now. They're because of that nervousness. They're going to be probably fucking awesome
[01:53:27] Jason Baffa: I think there'll be awesome. I know there'll be awesome. It's going to be great.
[01:53:30] Tyler: So here, here's my idea for the online version that people watch. You should turn all the water to look like wine, just AI, you know, do the Jesus effect water, the wine, you know,
[01:53:48] Jason Baffa: good.
[01:53:50] Tyler: right. Just change it. The color of like, yeah, you're a nice. Nice Chianti style or whatever, you know,
[01:53:56] Jason Baffa: If I could change water to wine, that would [01:54:00] affect the business model on a very interesting, interesting level.
[01:54:06] Tyler: but AI, AI, that shit into the movie. That would be great. There's your product plugging.
[01:54:12] Jason Baffa: Well, I, I'm going to give you marching orders. What, what you can do for us is keep your ears open for a theater that might work. Um, the Alcazar is cool. Cause they're a 501 C and so there it's, there's no upfront. We're doing a door share and we're just kind of in it together. And he's like, we just want to do cool stuff that the community's into.
[01:54:32] I know there's not many of those left throughout the world, but you know, we'll come visit if we can figure it out.
[01:54:39] Tyler: we can get, I mean, I can get probably an outdoor screening place that we have here in Rockaway. Or, like, I'll reach out to the Blue Note. Jazz club, dude in a jazz
[01:54:51] Jason Baffa: like that.
[01:54:52] Tyler: oh, now we're talking. Get Smalls, get to play Smalls in the West Village. Alright, alright,
[01:54:58] Jason Baffa: would be cool.
[01:54:59] Tyler: [01:55:00] It's that or Christian, that or Pilgrim will screen, would happily screen it at their shop.
[01:55:04] Jason Baffa: sure. And Chris, I met Corey shooting, helping Chris shoot his last project. That's when I met, uh, Kuka Pinto. Um, so I owe, I owe Gentile a nod on that, but it'd be fun. It'd be fun to move it around and, you know, we'll see the appetite for it. We're open to whatever, I think. It's, uh. It's funny. One of the people that watched it and loved it is actually pushing me to do a Nantucket she's like, you got, she's been doing emails with the film festival there.
[01:55:35] Like you gotta do it in Nantucket. So I, I said, Hey, whatever I'll I'm open to any and all.
[01:55:41] Tyler: All right, well, where can our listeners find, find the film? Where can they find you? This is the time to shame, shamefully plug everything.
[01:55:52] Jason Baffa: Yes, uh, Jason BFA Films is sort of the branding I use through and through. So that's Instagram, [01:56:00] Facebook, and as well as.com. Jason bfa films.com. There's a link to the VOD on my website, but if you are on the Surf network, um, it's up on streaming OTT over the top. So if you are a card carrying member to the Surf Network, you can add us.
[01:56:16] Tyler: as charged.
[01:56:17] Jason Baffa: your queue. Um, yeah, there's actually, what is today? Tuesday. Now, if you're too late, there was one adjustment to the first version already. So there's already now like heritage versions out there
[01:56:30] Tyler: I want the theatrical version, damn it.
[01:56:33] Jason Baffa: Well, you know, you know, people, so that's good. We probably worked something out. Um, yeah, so those are the homes and my website also has some stuff.
[01:56:42] There's some stuff on chasing wave. If you, if you do a deep dive into that and you want to learn a bit more about that series. And, you know, I just want to say thanks to everybody for allowing me to kind of run around with cameras and no shoes and for, uh, let me be a part of this [01:57:00]crazy community that we all love so much.
[01:57:02] Tyler: Well, Jason, I was so stoked when you reached out and it is so good to reconnect and I again really enjoyed this film. I gave it two thumbs up five stars and Whatever else, like it's, it's, it's beautiful and listeners go check it out. It's, it's an awesome movie. And again, you can go see it on Vimeo, but if we do get it touring around here, I highly recommend seeing it live.
[01:57:30] Cause I think it would look great. Fucking dope on the big screen. And, um, and again, of course, for listeners, don't forget to, uh, like and subscribe at swell season, surf radio as well, and, uh, check out our websites while season surf. com. And also we are on the new Stan. We recorded the new Stan studio normally, but this one's remote.
[01:57:52] And, uh, yeah, we'll check you all down the line. And, uh, Jason again, so stoked. Thank you so much.
[01:57:59] Jason Baffa: Thank you, Tyler. [01:58:00] Yeah, it's good to see you. It's been too long. I gotta come visit you.
[01:58:03] Tyler: Yes!